It started with a scary movie
by Xiana Asuka
Summary: Roxas is forced to watch The Ring. What kinds of events are set in motion? Waffles? Marriage? GODZILLA? Akuroku. Zemyx. Complete.
1. It started with a scary movie

Xiana: Hi, this is my first story and it's Akuroku! Please review and be nice!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Candyland, Spongebob, Disney, The Ring, or Dr. Phil. Or anything else.

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**It started with a scary movie...**

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Tonight was movie night with the rest of the Organization. Xemnas had recently been reading some self-help books and was currently obsessed with bringing the members closer together, or as he called it, "family self-awareness." He had started out this plan with what he called "Family Game Night," but after Demyx cried for 3 straight hours after losing 10 games of Candyland to Lexaeus in a row, and after Axel burned the new game room, aka the "Family Bonding Room," to the ground after losing a game of "Eels and Escalators" to Larxene, even Xemnas agreed that something had to change. Thus, movie night was created. Everyone took turns choosing movies, in order of rank.

Xemnas always chose romantic comedies, as did Larxene. Xigbar and Axel liked action movies with lots of violence and explosions. Xaldin always chose old anime flicks and especially Miyazaki films. Vexen loved boring documentaries that no one had heard of and no one could stay awake through. Lexaeus liked sports movies. Zexion chose random movies without really caring, and Saix and Luxord liked spy movies. Demyx loved Disney movies, Marluxia liked chick flicks, and Roxas would watch pretty much anything. But the one genre he would _not_ watch was horror. Roxas had hated scary movies ever since Larxene had tricked him into watching "The Exorcist," after which he had been deeply traumatized. Thus, when Zexion brought home "The Ring" from the video store, Roxas was not happy.

He did everything he could to get out of seeing the movie, but Xemnas kept telling him that Dr. Phil, whoever that was, _specifically_ said that family bonding was important, and that everyone should be included.

Roxas really, _really_ didn't want to watch the movie, but despite all his attempts to get out of it, he went down to the screening room at 8:00 with everyone else.

He sat between Larxene and Axel, and as the chilling opening theme started, he couldn't resist shuddering. Larxene giggled maliciously and began teasing Roxas. "Awwwww, is the witttle baaaaybeee scared?"

"Sh-shut up!"

Despite Roxas' attempts to face his fears and conquer them, he couldn't help cringing when Samara was thrown into the well by her parents, and when she started coming out of the T.V…..

"Ayiie!" Roxas was terrified out of his mind. He grabbed Axel, burying his face in the shiny red hair.

Axel wrapped an arm around Roxas. "Hey, Roxy, calm down. It's just a movie. She isn't gonna come out and get you…." He ruffled Roxas' spiky blonde hair affectionately.

Roxas stopped hyperventilating and calmed down, reassured by the friendly touch. He peered out from behind Axel's fiery head, but squeaked and retreated back to his shelter when he saw what was on the screen. After a few minutes, he looked out again and continued watching the movie, even though he continued to hold Axel closely to him for support.

By the end of the movie, Roxas had mostly conquered his fears, and had even started to enjoy the movie (only a little). He had stopped hiding behind Axel and was now sort of… snuggling with him. Axel _was_ soft and warm, and of course, the only thermostat was located in Vexen's lab. (Which explained why they were always wearing the heavy black cloaks.) No one minded; they were all too focused on Demyx, who was screaming about how everyone was going to die in seven days and crying into Zexion, who was patting him on the shoulder awkwardly.

Roxas went to bed that night thinking about the movie. It was kind of fun to be scared, and the movie wasn't as bad as some of the ones Larxene had been threatening to make him watch had sounded.

Despite his confrontation of his ears, he still had trouble getting to sleep. He had just finished reading a boring book, which he had figured would send him right off to Slumberland, when he heard a timid knock on the door.

He opened the door to see Axel carrying a pillow and wearing pajamas. Axel grinned sheepishly. "Hey, Rox… I was in bed, but I couldn't sleep, and I was thinking about the movie, and I was kinda, I guess, scared, so I guess I came over… toseeifmaybeIcouldstayinyourroomtonight!" The last phrase came out as a jumbled blur.

Roxas grinned and opened his door wider. "Come on in!" His grin faded as he realized that his room was a mess. There were random shoes, clothes, books, video games, and piles of assorted random junk all over the floor. "Uh… yeah… there's not really any room on the floor, cuz I was gonna move down there, so unless you wanna clean up…" he trailed off.

"Nah, your bed's big enough." Roxas had a huge, king-sized bed. It was the best of any of the other members', except possibly Xemnas'. Of course, no one actually wanted to find out, so they just assumed it was _probably_ larger, though Saïx certainly wasn't telling.

"O-okay." Roxas had not been expecting this, and he blushed slightly.

They both got into the giant bed, and, after getting comfortable, Roxas turned off the lights.

"Good night, Axel."

"Good night, Roxas."

"Remember, 7 days……"

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All right, that was the first chapter. If you liked it, please leave a review. I'll update, uuuh, sometime. 


	2. Jumping on Conclusions

Xiana: Hi! Thanks for reviewing. Welcome to chapter two of **It started with a scary movie**. This chapter is called Jumping on Conclusions. Hmmm... I think I'll add some Zemyx into this story. Maybe next chapter.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Kingdom Hearts or Mario. Or Dr. Phil.

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_Jumping on Conclusions_

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Roxas was having a strange dream. He had first been playing video games with Axel and Demyx when the screen had suddenly turned to static. He had reached behind the T.V. to try and fix the connection, but when he turned around, he saw that Demyx and Axel were gone, replaced by Samara from "The Ring." She slowly pulled away her hair from around her eyes to reveal...

Roxas woke up completely freaked out. He lay in bed for a few moments, trying to get his brain to wake up. He slowly realized what, or in fact who, was right beside him...

"Aah!" Roxas jumped about a foot in the air. Axel stretched his arms, yawning and blinking sleepily. Roxas tried to calm down his rapidly beating heart, reassuring himself that Axel was not a threat.

"G' mornin Roxy, didja sleep well? Axel yawned again.

"Actually, I had kind of a scary dream," Roxas confessed, feeling that Axel would surely understand how he felt.

"Eheheh, I kind of guessed from the way you started moaning and whimpering and snuggling up to me…" Axel laughed.

"Oh, shut up!" Roxas' face turned bright red and he looked down at the ground. Then he remembered the events of last night. "Besides, it's your own fault for being scared, if you really were. You never get scared of anything! I should never have trusted you!" Roxas scowled at Axel, who simply laughed.

"Maybe I _was_ scared. And maybe I figured you needed some 'emotional support', after all that screaming you did last night," Axel said mockingly, making a quotation mark gesture with his hands.

"Oh, come on. You weren't scared! When everyone started dying in the beginning, you were laughing!" Roxas was angry. "You-you-" Roxas couldn't find an insult. "You were just using me!"

Axel smirked. "And if I was…?"

Roxas faltered. "Well… well, uh… Just get out!" He pointed to the door and threw Axel's pillow out into the hallway.

Axel just laughed. Roxas had to be bipolar or something, or maybe he just had a lot of mood swings. Or maybe he was emo. Just like Zexion. Ha ha. "Right, see ya Rox!" He wandered out of Roxas' room in no particular hurry. He was certain Roxas would snap out of it and come apologize later. Who knew, maybe the kid just wasn't a morning person.

Roxas was seriously pissed off. Axel was a great friend, true, but he was so self-centered and apathetic. He insulted and manipulated people way too casually, and sometimes Roxas just couldn't take it. And what was he hinting at anyways? Was he trying to _flirt_ with Roxas?

Roxas angrily pulled on a shirt and some jeans and stomped down to Demyx's room. "Hey, Dem, you wanna play some Mario Kart?" He hung out with Demyx for the rest of the morning and afternoon.

Roxas left to get some lunch after the 57th straight game of Super Smash Bros. Melee, in which he totally _dominated_ Demyx's Peach with Marth. He turned and took a side route to the cafeteria when he saw Axel walking up to him with a big smile on his face. Damn Axel. If he thought he could be so nonchalant about this whole thing, he had better think again. Because Roxas wasn't going to take it. Not now, not ever.

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Axel frowned slightly when Roxas veered sharply away from him. So the kid was playing hard to get, eh? Axel always did like a challenge.

Axel really couldn't help his manipulative nature. He got a twisted pleasure from getting others to do what he wanted. This experiment with Roxas was just the last of many, including the time yesterday when he had managed to convince Demyx that Zexion had a major crush on him. Axel snickered evilly. The look on Demyx's face had been priceless, and Axel felt certain that he'd be getting many more hours of entertainment out of the two.

He supposed that he had better mark this experiment down as a failure. Knowing of Roxas' hatred of horror films, he had made sure that the biggest display in the front of the video store was of recent horror movies. The chronically lazy Zexion usually just picked whatever he saw first, so it didn't make sense that he wouldn't choose one of them. It was also Axel that had persuaded Xemnas that everyone had to watch the movie. He had found an article by some guy named Dr. Phil supporting his point and slipped it into one of Xemnas' psychology books. He laughed to himself again. Dr. Phil. What kind of name was that?

Yes, Axel had controlled everything up to the seating. He had deliberately come in with Roxas and sat down next to Larxene. The only part he had not chosen or foreseen, for that matter, was the exact movie. The fact that it had turned out to be "The Ring" was more bad luck than anything.

To Axel, it had actually seemed pretty frightening. He wasn't normally the type to get pulled in by a scary movie, but he _had_ heard some rumors about some lesser nobodies that had been killed exactly seven days after seeing the movie. Axel was only half lying when he told Roxas he was scared.

And the entire point of the "mission" had been to see just how far he could get with Roxas, which, he was sad to report, was not very far. Axel had been attracted to the younger boy ever since he had joined the Organization, and though he had quickly become Roxas' best friend, they didn't exactly have a strong relationship, even just as friends, and the more time he spent in Roxas' company, the more he realized his true depth of emotion for Roxy. But tricking him into watching a movie he didn't want to see, sympathizing to get on his good side, and then convincing Roxas to let him sleep in Roxas' bed was probably not the best way to win a place in his heart. Riiiiiiight. Nobodies didn't have hearts. Axel sighed. He had been kind of a jerk. He decided to go apologize to Roxas.

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When Roxas got back to his room, he found Axel there waiting for him. Roxas sighed. "Why can't you just leave me alone for a while?" he asked plaintively.

Axel started to say something, but stopped when he saw the expression on Roxas' face. "I've had enough of this, Axel. You're always so… deceptive and I just can't handle it right now. I can tolerate it to a certain degree, but… if you start messing with me, I have to draw the line. Because… because I don't think I'm strong enough to handle it." Roxas ran out of the room, wiping the unwanted tears from his eyes. He just felt so weak around Axel, so incapable of defense or rational argument. Whenever they fought, he lost all self-control and fell completely to pieces.

Axel sighed. That could have gone better. He hadn't even gotten to say anything. And wasn't Roxas overreacting just a little bit? Axel wasn't really that bad… He started to wonder if maybe something else was going on with Roxas that had made him so emotional lately. Axel gasped. Could it be that Roxas had found out that he had some emotions after all? Axel had recently felt stirrings in his chest that he decided were emotions, but he had never seen any of the same signs in Roxas.

Axel was really excited. He forgot all about everything else that had happened that day, and chased after Roxas. He caught up and tackled him to the ground in his excitement. "Roxy, Roxy, you can feel stuff, can't ya! I just knew, knew it! Roxy, Roxy, how do you feel?" Axel asked anxiously.

"Flat," came Roxas' muffled reply.

"Eheheh…" Axel sweat-dropped and got off of Roxas. "I… guess I got a little carried away…. But I was just so excited! Cuz I want you to feel stuff too, just like me, cuz I have emotions and stuff, maybe, and I wanna know what you're feeling and just-just- everything…" Axel was completely overwhelming Roxas with his flow of words.

Roxas blinked in confusion. "Axel… I really have no idea what you're talking about."

Axel turned red. "So… Wait… Never mind. I guess I kinda just jumped to conclusions a little bit there…."

"Uh, yeah. And you kinda jumped on me too." Axel was soft and snuggly, as Roxas knew from experience, but for someone so thin, he sure was heavy!

"Yeah… about that…" Axel noticed that Roxas was still laying flat on the floor. He held his hand out to help Roxas up. Roxas took it and slowly got back to his feet, groaning.

"Axel, give me some warning next time before you try to glomp me to death?"

Axel gasped, shocked. "I didn't even know that you knew that word!" He laughed. Roxy was funny.

"And another thing, Axel? You can let go of my hand now…."

"………no…" Axel took off down the hallway, half-skipping, half-running, and dragging Roxas along behind him. He managed to pull Roxas all the way to his room, where he locked the door.

At this moment, Roxas was kind of weirded out, though he knew that Axel had a habit of jumping to conclusions and overreacting. He paused to admire how clean Axel's room was in comparison with his own.

After a few minutes, Roxas got up from the bed where he was sitting and started looking around the room some more. There were some intense fiery posters on the walls, and exciting knick-knacks scattered around the room. Roxas looked away from a set of five balls that were clicking back and forth to find Axel staring at him.

"Y-e-es?' Roxas drew out the word, wondering what Axel wanted. Although he had been quite frustrated with the older boy recently, he couldn't help but like Axel, for all the crazy stuff he did without seeming to care or think about it.

"Roxas!" Axel's sudden intensity caused Roxas to back away quickly into a wall. "I want you to be able to feel emotions too! So I don't have to be alone! And so you can feel how I feel!" _How I feel about you_, he added silently.

Roxas raised an eyebrow skeptically. "So, you want to give me emotion lessons?" Roxas laughed lightly. "If you really want to, you can try, I guess…"

"O-o-o-kay!" Axel yelled excitedly. He pulled out a desk and a blackboard from what appeared to be nowhere, but was actually a conveniently located closet. Roxas could only watch in awe as Axel took out other school-ish stuff, such as a set of school supplies for Roxas, a real high school locker, and motivational posters to replace the distracting flame-y ones. "Oh, Roxy!" Axel pulled out a cute uniform for Roxas to wear.

"No. There is no way you're going to get me to wear that."

Axel raised an eyebrow and pulled out a girl's sailor suit uniform instead.

"…. I'm not even going to ask,' Roxas muttered as he grabbed the boy's uniform and headed to the conveniently located closet to change.

A few minutes later, Roxas came out. Axel's jaw dropped. It looked absolutely adorable on him. After staring at him for a few minutes, Axel recovered and began writing something on the board. "Ok! Your first lesson is…."

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Oooh! Cliffy!

Please review, cuz it will motivate me to type faster.


	3. A Lesson in Emotions

Xiana: Hey everyone. Here is chapter 3 of **It started with a scary movie**. This one took a while to type up, but I think you'll like it. In other notes, this chapter reminds me of Bo-Bobo at times. Random humor, 'n' stuff.

Special thanks to **Onemoreparadise**, **blackkeyblade**, **Kitsune Bara, **and **Fushica** for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Sailor Moon.

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A Lesson in Emotions 

"Your first lesson is…."

Roxas waited uneasily for Axel to speak. What was the crazy pyro going to say? Anything, just as long as it wasn't….

"Your first lesson is… Love!" Axel smiled as Roxas sweat-dropped. "Yes, it's much too advanced a concept for you to understand," Axel said in a lofty tone, "which is why I'm saving that lesson for second semester!"

Roxas looked away in horror. Axel really was going to go through with this, wasn't he?

"Anyway, I'll start with a basic overview of the lesson plan for the year and explain the topics you will be studying throughout the semester." Roxas groaned as Axel handed him a yellow sheet of paper. "This is what we'll be doing throughout the year. Don't forget to get it signed by a parent or other responsible adult!" Roxas crumpled up the paper and threw it at the wall. "Now, now, Mr. Kinoki, this is an easy 10 points to start out the semester right, so I'm going to give you a new one." Axel gave Roxas another yellow sheet. "Remember now, you can't get into college without a 'B' or better in this class, so every point counts!" Axel lectured sternly.

Roxas stood up. "Axel! I don't care about a grade for this class, ("Then you won't get into college," Axel admonished.) I'm not going to college, ("Then you'll get a horrible job, just like me," Axel murmured.) and my name is not Mr. Mushroom!"("It's not?" Axel wondered.)

"Oh, and in this class, we'll give the students with the highest grades a reward, and the ones with the lowest grades a punishment, so you may want to focus and work hard! Unless you want to get punished, that is…" Axel smiled evilly.

"Aw, come on Axel."

"No! I'm a teacher and I'm telling you that this is what you have to do! Unless you want your punishment to start now! heart"

"Dammit Axel, why are you acting like some sort of… peppy fangirl cosplaying as a teacher?"

"Oh, such language! You'll be staying after class today for detention, Mr. Kinoki! And you will refer to me in a polite manner! For I am your teacher! Mrs. Kusa!"

"Mrs….. Grass?" Roxas laughed. "So, do you have any pictures of your husband you can show the class?"

**SMACK!** Axel slapped Roxas. "Do not question your elders!" (s)he screamed in a falsetto voice.

"Ow…" Roxas rubbed his cheek where Axel had slapped him. "What did you do that for?"

"Because you talked back!"

"You can't just hit your students!" They started arguing, Roxas getting more into Axel's game as time progressed. As they started yelling louder at each other, the volume increased until a timid knock finally came at the door.

Axel sprang into action. "What's the password?" he asked in his fake, high-pitched voice.

"The raven cries at midnight," came the muffled reply.

"Actually, it was pizza melon tube sock. Close enough!" Axel unlocked and opened the door to reveal Demyx and Zexion.

Demyx ran into the room excitedly. 'Hey, watcha doing? Hey Roxy, you look really pretty! ("I do not!" said Roxas.) Why were you guys yelling? Is it a game? Can we play too?" He grabbed onto Zexion and pulled him into the room.

Axel looked at him with a serious expression on his face. "We're in the middle of class! Don't interrupt!" He smiled. "Unless you want to learn about your true emotions with I, your teacher! Mrs. Kusa!"

"Mrs….. Grass?" Zexion asked curiously.

"Mrs? I thought you were going to be the _seme_ in this relationship, Axel…" Demyx wondered.

"Wh-what are you talking about, Demyx?" Axel asked quickly.

"I dunno, sometimes I just like to make stuff up!" Demyx smiled. "Anyway, we wanna play!"

"Ok!" Axel handed Demyx a uniform just like Roxas'. "Why don't you go into that conveniently located closet to change?"

Demyx changed into the uniform and came out. "Do I look as pretty as Roxas does?" he asked anxiously.

Roxas had to say that if it looked that good on Demyx, it had to look pretty darn good on him.

"I can honestly say that I think Roxas looks prettier," Axel replied.

"Don't say pretty!" Roxas said, offended. "Say, um…."

"Handsome? Attractive? Comely? Good-looking? Beautiful? Fine? S-" Axel was cut off by Roxas.

"Put away that thesaurus, you idiot!"

"Talking back to me again, eh, Kinoki?"

They continued arguing, and Zexion took the opportunity to back away towards the door. He had almost made it out to freedom when Demyx yelled, "Zexy feels left out! He wants a uniform too!"

Zexion turned around slowly to see Axel smiling at him fiendishly. "Sorry Zex, didn't mean to leave you out… Unfortunately," he held up the girl's uniform from before, "this is all I have left for you."

"No. There is no way you're going to get me to wear that."

Axel raised an eyebrow and pulled out a pink bikini. ("Wear that one!" Demyx yelled.)

"… I'm not even going to ask," Zexion muttered as he reluctantly grabbed the girl's uniform. He went in to the conveniently located closet and came out looking extremely feminine.

Demyx stared at Zexion for a moment before huggling him. "I love you! You're so cute! And emo!"

Axel and Roxas started cracking up. Zexion hung his head in shame. He wondered how he had gotten into this. He also wondered if he should just kill himself now by jumping out the window, but decided against it because then he'd die in a dress that looked like it came straight out of Sailor Moon. "Thanks Demyx. That means a lot to me," he said in a dull monotone.

"How can I not compliment you? You're so ADORABLE! But you need more eyeliner!" Demyx pulled some random eyeliner out of his pocket and dabbed it gently onto Zexion's visible eye. He took a step back to admire his work and screamed like… a rabid fangirl. He grabbed Zexion again. "YOU'RE SO BEAUTIFUL! I WORSHIP THE FLOOR YOU STAND ON! I LOVE YOU!!!!"

Zexion was at a loss for words.

Axel and Roxas were laughing so hard that they were crying in each other's arms, Demyx's eyes were so big and watery they looked as if he was a chibi in a shojo manga, and Zexion… was curious.

He walked over to a giant mirror in the corner, dragging Demyx, who had attached himself to Zexion's arm, along with him. He blinked at the girl he saw in the mirror. The dress really did make him look very pretty.

And it was then that he resolved to kill himself after all. He ran for the window, but made a fatal mistake when he tried to detach Demy-kun from his arm. Demyx just wrapped himself tighter around the slightly smaller boy and they fell to the floor.

"Wow, this is great! This far in the relationship! And aren't I usually the _uke_?"

"Wh-what are you talking about, Demyx?" Zexion asked, flustered.

"Oh, you know. When I finally melt your cold, cruel emo heart, I'm usually the girl in this relationship, right?"

"You take that back! My emo heart burns with a strong, fiery passion! And just where do you get this stuff anyway?"

"Sometimes another voice pops into my head and tells me to say stuff. So I do!" Demyx explained cheerfully.

"And if the voice told you to jump off a bridge, would you?" Zexion asked sarcastically.

"… What's a bridge?" Demyx wondered.

Zexion began explaining the advanced concept to Demyx. "It's when you put something over water so that you can cross over it without getting wet."

"But getting wet is fun! Especially when you wash your hair and then you shake it off to let it dry and it goes FWOOFH and sticks up funny!"

"But when most people use bridges, it's because they_ don't_ want to get wet."

"So, the point of a bridge is not to get wet, right?"

"Yes."

"And I like getting wet. Therefore, if the voice told me to jump off a bridge, I would know that I would get wet, and because I like getting wet, I would jump off the bridge, secure in the knowledge that I would get wet." Demyx cheered triumphantly. "Logic wins again!"

Zexion would have just walked away, right then. Except that Demyx was still lying on top of him. He eventually shoved Demyx off of him and sat up.

Axel and Roxas finally stopped laughing and pulled themselves off the floor. Axel pulled two more desks out of nowhere (or really the conveniently located closet). "All right, I'll let you guys sit wherever you want today, but expect a strict seating chart starting tomorrow! Now then, Zexion and Demyx, you will need to take these sheets and get them signed by a parent or other responsible adult. Our first topic of study will be negative emotions, starting with greed and envy, and ending with sadness and hatred. Any questions? No? Good! Class dismissed!"

Everyone walked out of the room. Almost. Roxas had thought that Axel would have completely forgot about the 'detention' he had given him, but of course, he was proven wrong. Axel grabbed him when he started out the door and shoved him back into the nearest chair. "You have to stay for detention!" Axel reminded him. "You'll be doing some work around this place for… five hours to make it up! Have fun!"

Roxas groaned and slumped down in the chair. Could this day get any weirder? Unfortunately, the answer was yes… for Zexion anyway.

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Ooh! Cliffy again! Keep reviewing and maybe I'll update over the weekend! See ya!


	4. Sarcasm Gets You Nowhere

Xiana: Chapter 4, you know the score.

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Chapter 4: Sarcasm Gets You Nowhere

Roxas sat sadly in his chair. Actually, he wasn't all that sad. He was pretty ticked off. Axel was making him do work because he had yelled at Axel and gotten slapped for his troubles? Roxas rubbed his cheek, which still had a big red mark on it.

He wondered what Axel was going to make him do. Weed Marluxia's garden? Throw Xemnas off the roof of the castle? Sneak into Vexen's lab and turn up the thermostat? Bake a batch of cookies and cuppycakes????

Axel finally reached a decision. "For detention, you will first bake a batch of cookies and cuppycakes, which will replace the ones that Xaldin made yesterday when he was stabbitying people, and therefore have a delicious taste of blood in them, because I am going to eat the afore-mentioned 'bloody cookies' on your bed while watching you clean your room, because it really needs it, Rox, and therefore really making more of a mess that you will then have to clean up, also!"

"Uh… what? Sorry, I didn't quite catch that last part…." '_Or any of it at all,_' he added silently.

Axel sighed. "Why must I always repeat myself to you! Nobody appreciates all the hard work I do to come up with this! I said: For detention, you will first bake a batch of cookies and cuppycakes, which will replace the ones that Xaldin made yesterday when he was stabbitying people, and therefore have a delicious taste of blood in them, because I am going to eat the afore-mentioned 'bloody cookies' on your bed while watching you clean your room, because it really needs it, Rox, and therefore really making more of a mess that you will then have to clean up, also!"

Roxas smiled innocently. "What, were you talking? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Axel sighed. "Dammit, Roxy, pay attention this time! Now, as I was saying, for detention…"

--------With Demyx and Zexion--------

Zexion walked through the halls happily. At long last, he had gotten away from- "Z-ze-ze-Zexy!" Demyx shouted cheerfully. "Let's go wander around outside the castle! Come on!"

Zexion groaned sadly. "Actually, Demyx, I've got a lot of homework, and, uh, I've been feeling pretty sick recently, so I think I'll have to decline…" He raced for the shelter of his room, Demyx sprinting behind him.

"Don't worry, Zexion!" Demyx yelled as Zexion slammed the door to his room. "I'll be right here, waiting if you need any help!"

Zexion lay in the dark shelter of his room. He wondered what he should do about his Demyx problem. He winced, even now he cold hear Demyx composing a song that appeared to be named "Ode to Zexion." Zexion knew he had to quickly use his powers of logic (and great hair) to escape from Demyx. Demyx was right outside the door. He had wanted Zexion to go outside with him before. Therefore, the only safe place was outside.

Zexion swung himself out the window and lowered himself to the ground. (His room was on the bottom floor because Xemnas thought he was emo and going to kill himself at any moment by throwing himself from a window. It was unfortunate how everyone felt the need to stereotype him in such a way, but today the latter statement did seem to have some basis in truth.)

He gently stepped down from the window, looked around, and…. stepped backwards into Demyx?

"Wow Zexy, you made it after all! This is great! Now we can go to the park and have a romantic picnic and play Frisbee and tag and then we can go to a lakeside amusement park and go on all the rides and eat funnel cakes and get our pictures taken in a photo booth, and then we can play one of those games where you have to throw the softball and knock down all the milk bottles, or maybe one of the ones where you have to throw the rings over the bottle, and then I can win you a giant teddy bear, or maybe a huge doggy, or maybe both, and you'll carry them around for a little bit, but then I'll take them and carry them for you and you'll hug me and say, 'Oh, Demy-kun, you're so strong!' with a little heart at the end of the sentence and then we'll go for a stroll down the boulevard and all the other people will look at us with envy because we'll be the most adorable couple, and it'll get dark and we'll go on the Ferris Wheel, and it will stop at the top, and the fireworks would start, but only a little bit, and then we'd look at each other shyly and then look away, and then we'll scoot a little closer to each other and then giggle shyly and then share our first, passionate kiss as the brightest fireworks illuminate the sky! Right, Zexy? Zexy? Uh… Zexy…?"

Zexion was too busy focusing on other matters. Wait… so if Demyx was here… who was outside his room writing an ode to him…?

---Outside Zexion's Room---

"_Ohhh Zexion! You're so beautiful it makes me yawn! Oooooh Zexion! Your smile is bright just like the dawn_!"

The mysterious figure stopped strumming the ukulele and blowing rhythmically into his didgeridoo to frown. "That won't work…. Zexion doesn't smile because he's so adorably emo!" The mysterious Nobody gasped. "That's it!"

"_Zexiooooon, he's so emo-iooooon!_"

"No, wait, that won't work… Dammit, I wish I had a rhyming dictionary… I mean, come on, what rhymes with Zexion?!"

---With Axel and Roxas---

"Okay, let me get this straight. You want me to bake cookies and cuppycakes, but not ones that have blood in them, because you're going to eat those…. Why again?"

"Dammit, Roxas, pay attention! I've already told you this 8 times by now!"

"What happened to 'Kinoki-san?'" Roxas asked, smirking slightly.

"Pay attention this time, or there won't be a Kinoki anything!" Axel screamed in frustration.

---Demyx and Zexion---

"Yeah, good idea Zexy! We can save the amusement park for our first real date some other time!" Demyx prattled on as the two walked down the streets in the middle of the dark city.

Zexion kept feeling random stares from other Nobodies directed at him, specifically, but it wasn't until they met up with Larxene that he realized the reason why.

"Hey, Demyx, found yourself a new girlfr- Oh. My. God. Z-ze-Zexion…?" She burst into hysterical laughter upon realizing just who Zexion was.

"What, haven't you ever seen a pretty emo boy in a sailor fuku before?" Demyx asked defensively.

"Actually, um, no…" Larxene gasped, continuing to laugh maniacally.

Zexion noticed a crowd gathering around them. And of course, they were all staring at _him_. When over a thousand were in a huge group surrounding him, he finally snapped sarcastically, "Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer!"

So then, everyone (including Demyx) pulled out their digital cameras, and Zexion was hit with a blinding flash.

Zexion sighed. When he got home, he was definitely changing into a normal outfit and throwing himself off the top of the castle.

------

Xiana: Well, that's the end of this chapter! I hope you liked it! Hmmmm… lots of Zemyx in this chapter. So… the next chapter will be all fluffy Akuroku! Ahahaha!

Notes: I apparently like writing run-on sentences. So I made Demyx say them. A lot.

Finally: I'm sorry I didn't update, but I was depressed and my left pinky got messed up so I couldn't type. Still can't, but I felt guilty. Hope you liked it.

Review, everyone!


	5. Procrastination Continues

Xiana: All right, time for Chapter 5. Which, as I have told a few people, is fluffy, not funny. I apologize! Well, I laughed at part of it…. I've been writing more seriously lately, so I apologize.

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_Procrastination Continues_

Roxas pounded the dough heavily with the rolling pin. The cookies weren't due to come out for another half hour, the cuppycakes were cooling, and Roxas still had time to make a luscious lemon meringue pie.

Really, he was just putting off cleaning his room. Maybe if he gave the pie to Axel, he could get out of an hour or two of detention. Much to Roxas' chagrin, the 3 hours he had wasted getting Axel to explain the detention didn't actually count towards detention time.

Which brought up an interesting point. Why was Roxas going along with this anyway? Was it because he knew his room needed work? Definitely not. Because he was a good person and wanted to humor Axel? Maybe…. Because deep in his (non-existent?) heart, he loved baking and dreamed of being a pastry chef someday? Yeah, that was it. Roxas started laughing at the idea.

Maybe he did just want to spend more time with Axel. Even when Axel was at his most unbalanced, he was still fun to be around. Roxas found that he had actually enjoyed his time at the "class" today, despite the fact that that slap had really hurt!

As he placed the pie crust into the oven to bake, the timer went off, indicating that it was time for the chocolate chip cookies to come out.

As if on cue, Axel burst into the kitchen right as Roxas slid the cookies onto a rack to let them cool off. Of course, Axel just had to try and steal one, but soon gave up when he burnt his fingers, and he grabbed a cuppycake as if that was what he had meant to do all along. His eyes lit up as he took a bite. "Roxy, these are the best cuppycakes I've ever eaten! You have to give me your recipe!"

Roxas laughed. "I just used this recipe, here!" he said, pointing to a piece of paper on the counter labeled, "_Chocolatey Cuppycakes, Just Like Mama Used To Make!_"

"Well, these are better than any my mom ever made!" Axel praised, devouring his second cuppycake.

"Say Axel, why do we call them 'cuppycakes' anyway?"

"Xemnas made it a law that no one could ever say the word 'cupcake' unless they were explaining why that word couldn't be used to another member," Axel explained.

"…. So, why can't we use it?"

Axel finished eating his third cuppycake and shrugged. "Who knows why that guy does anything?"

"You've got a point there."

They sat in silence, eating, until Roxas breached the silence again. "So, Axel… Why did you decide to do this all for me? I mean, I know we joked around a lot today, but I think we both know you were serious. So… Why? Why do you care?"

"I care… Because I want you to care too," Axel said, more seriously than Roxas had ever seen him. "I don't want us to be stuck as Nobodies forever. I truly believe that, in time, we can develop hearts and really and truly become our own people, not just shadows of what we once were. And when that day comes, I want you to be right there beside me as we make our way in the world. Our world." Axel spoke strongly, intensely, with such emotion in his voice that it was hard to believe this fiery creature didn't have a heart at all.

"… I see. But… what do you want me to care more about? Your dream? Or… you?"

Axel stiffened. He hadn't been expecting Roxas to ask that question. Oh, what the hell. "I… want you to care about both. But if it's okay with you," he added quietly, 'I'd rather you cared about me more…" He looked up to see Roxas' reaction. To his astonishment, Roxas' sapphire eyes were focused on his own emerald ones. Roxas was smiling at him gently.

"That's fine with me," Roxas said softly, "as long as you can promise the same."

"Nothing could be easier," Axel found himself saying.

"Axel, I'm glad we're such good friends. I… may not always act like it, but I really do care about you. So that's why I'm glad that you're doing this for me. Thanks for being a great friend."

"Yeah, friends." '_Roxas, is that all we're ever going to be? Don't you want any more in our relationship? Am I just deluding myself?_'

The timer rang, signifying that it was time for Roxas to pull the pie crust out of the oven. He allowed it to cool before adding the lemon filling, and topping it with meringue, then putting it in the fridge so that it could cool and solidify.

Axel watched in silence as Roxas automatically performed the actions as if he had done them a thousand times before. Sometimes, the way Roxas was good at everything made Axel jealous. Why couldn't he be perfect, just as Roxas always seemed to be?

In many ways, Roxas was the ideal, perfect person. He was good at everything he put effort into, he didn't have a snobby attitude like he knew how perfect he was, he had a perfect amount of self-consciousness that made him adorable, and he was extremely attractive, if Axel did say so himself.

And in comparison, what was Axel? He was bright and cheerful, and tried his hardest to show his feelings, but really, wasn't that it? It wasn't that Axel had low self-esteem, he just wanted to become someone Roxas would look up to and possibly develop emotions for. Axel unconsciously wished for this more than anything else in the world.

----

As Roxas gently placed the completed pie on the top shelf of the refrigerator, he noticed Axel apparently thinking extremely hard about something. He had a frown on his face and one of his eyebrows was raised inquisitively. It was such an out of character expression for Axel that Roxas smiled. It was such a small movement, but the slight upturning of his mouth was enough to break Axel out of his reflective state. "Hey, what's so funny, Roxas?"

"You are. You just looked so … so intensely focused, but the expression on your face…" Roxas explained.

"That's my thinking expression! Besides, whenever you get mad or frown, your nose scrunches up funny!"

"Well, when you laugh, you snort just like a pig!"

"Well, um, when you…." Axel couldn't think of anything for a moment, but his lips curled up into a smile as he remembered… "Well, Roxas, I'm sorry to be the one to have to tell you this, but… you snore."

"Wh-What?" Roxas asked, surprised.

"Say what you will, deny it if you like, but you'll know it's true!" Axel said triumphantly.

"Yeah right, no way."

"You wanna fight?" Axel joked.

"Bring it," Roxas challenged.

"Ding-dong, Ding-dong! What? What? Oh, it is already brung, sistah!" Axel snapped his fingers in front of Roxas' face.

They circled around the room, each looking for the other's weak spot.

Suddenly, Axel struck! He knocked Roxas over with his superior weight and size, and began tickling Roxas mercilessly.

Roxas gasped and started laughing. "Ahahaha, Axel, haha, ahahah, stop please, hahaah, I give up, haha."

"Ok, fine." Axel stopped torturing Roxas for a moment, which was just enough time for Roxas to flip Axel over and begin to take revenge.

"Roxy, hahaha, you're such a, hee hee, a cheater!"

"Do you surrender?" Roxas asked vindictively.

"N-Never! A-hahahaha!" Axel screamed with laughter as Roxas increased the pressure.

After a few minutes, both boys lay on the floor, laughing and gasping for air. After he had gotten his breathing back under control, Roxas sat up and looked at Axel. "That was insane, Axel. It was just so… random! I never would have done anything like that with anyone else." Impulsively, he grabbed Axel's hand and held it with both of his own. "I think you must be a good influence on me, Axel."

Axel's eyes widened. What was he talking about? "What do you mean, Roxas?"

"I mean, all this." He squeezed Axel's hand affectionately. "I never would be able to tell how I feel to anyone else, because I'm kinda a shy person, but when I'm around you, I feel… whole, like nothing matters."

Axel sat up and squeezed Roxas' hand back. "Thanks, Rox. That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"You're welcome, I guess." They sat there for several more hours, until it grew too dark to see. A comfortable silence surrounded them. Their friendship had just grown stronger, and Axel's dreams were coming true before his eyes. Funny how he was too focused on the moment to think about it.

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Xiana: Hm... did you guys like that chapter? I can't figure out exactly why Xemnas won't let people say the word 'cupcake.' But I wanna write a one-shot about it! You guys should totally send me your ideas! Please!

Next chapter: Everyone's schizophrenic, except Zexy. But he has a different problem…


	6. Schizophrenia Takes Root

Xiana: Well, I'm back with more of the story! Today, everyone starts talking to themselves. Or rather, all of the non-entities start talking to their… non-selves. Hm. Also, have all of you guys read my other one-shot, "Your New Nickname?" Cuz I think it's pretty funny. Anyway…

Special thanks to reviewers: **Kitsune Bara, Ramen Ichiraku, Rae and Arakni, Fushica, AnimeDutchess, darkwolfspiritflame, TunaxPenguin, Toshi-Ama** (Next chapter featuring you! Yay!)**, EyesWideShut41, Shiguna, lunarxshinobi, AeroFlux, Shadow of Darkness 22, StringynKel, **and **onemoreparadise!** Thanks, everybody! Review and join this awesome list, every 3 chapters!

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_Schizophrenia Takes Root_

Roxas showed up early to 'school' the next day, carrying the lemon meringue pie to give to Axel. He knocked on the door cheerfully, wearing the uniform from yesterday.

When Axel opened the door, Roxas smiled, holding out the pie. "Good morning, sensei!"

"Awwwww, you baked me a pie. Extra credit. But, did you do your homework?" Axel questioned Roxas.

"Oh, of course!" Roxas pulled out the yellow sheet with his own signature and one that might have been Xemnas', except that Roxas had forged it.

"10 points! Anyway, come in, the others should be here soon." Axel waved Roxas in and he took a seat on Axel's bed, waiting for Demyx and Zexion to come in.

As he waited, he eventually shifted his position so that he was lying on the bed. Axel had a solid aqua quilty-thing on his bed, with layers of pastel blue sheets, getting lighter in color the farther they went. It all seemed very warm to Roxas, and he had a fleeting thought about snuggling with Axel in the warm sheets, but he quickly hit himself on the head to dislodge the thought from his brain before subjecting himself to some internal dialogue.

'_Stupid brain,_' Roxas thought angrily. '_Why did you make me think that?_'

His brain responded, '_Because you wanted to think it, idiot!_'

'_But, but, I don't like Axel_ that_ way…_'

'_Right… then why did you snuggle with him at the movie, and let him sleep in your bed, and bake him cookies, cuppycakes, and a lemon meringue pie, and you daydream about sleeping with him in his bed…_'

'_No, that's…'_

'_See, I'm right!'_

'_Well, even if I did like Axel like that, which I don't, he doesn't like me like that… We're just good friends! And I should really stop talking to myself!' _He came back to reality to find Axel, Demyx, and Zexion staring at him.

Axel finally broke the awkward silence by asking, "Uh, are you okay, Roxy?"

"Huh? Yeah, I was just… just thinking about something."

There was a moment of silence as everyone wondered what Roxas had been thinking about.

Zexion thought that Roxas, like himself, was pondering how he had allowed himself to be dragged here in a waste of his life.

Demyx thought Roxas was daydreaming about his Zexion. _'My pretty emo cross-dresser boy! Mine!'_ he thought competitively. Axel was not going to have any problems teaching this kid the meaning of jealousy.

As for Axel himself, he wondered if Roxas was considering all possible implications involved in the giving of a lemon meringue pie. A thought involving himself, Roxas, and some sort of lemon came into his mind, and he quickly shoved it out, thinking to himself, _'No! Roxas doesn't like me like that! He as much as said yesterday that he doesn't have any feelings for me at all!'_

A sly voice in his head whispered, _'But what if he's afraid of rejection? What if he wants _you_ to make the first move…'_

'_But what if he doesn't? What if I did and I just push him farther away? I'd rather just stay friends than try to force him into a relationship he doesn't want to be part of…'_

'_If you never take risks, you'll never know. Besides, what's the worst that can happen?'_

'_I won't do that unless you can give me proof that Roxas has feelings for me as well! And that's that!'_ Axel thought angrily. He returned to reality to find everyone staring at him.

Before anyone could say anything (or think anything bad, or start talking to themselves again), Axel quickly commented, "Well, anyway, that's enough standing around and thinking, time for class. Roxas sits in the first chair, then Demyx, then Zexion." He started writing on the blackboard. "Our first emotion, envy, is when someone has something that you want. This usually refers to a material possession, but there can also be envy for a feeling or ability that another has." He paused, looking to see if anyone had any questions, which they didn't.

"Anyway, the opposite of envy is jealousy, in some ways. It can be used to describe how you feel about something, and that you don't want others to want or obtain it. It can also be used as a synonym for envy." Axel looked up from his notes to see Roxas looking semi-confused, Demyx nodding his head understandingly, and Zexion with his head down on the desk, sleeping.

"Zexion! Wake up!" Axel yelled. No response. "Come on Zexion, please!" In a last-ditch effort to wake him up, he yelled, "Zexion! Marly made waffles! And I'm going to eat them all!"

In a flash, Zexion was awake. Marluxia's waffles were worlds-famous and he had won two prestigious awards for them recently, the Traverse Town Best Breakfast Award and the Best Waffles in the Known Universe Award/Commemorative Plaque. Waffles were almost the only things that motivated Zexion, and Marluxia's were the best ever, so naturally Zexion would do almost anything for them.

"Waffles? Where, where?" Zexion asked eagerly.

"I'm just joking, there's no waffles. I just had to WAKE YOU UP! Because you were ASLEEP! in my CLASS! Now, pay attention. Demyx, you understand this, right?"

"I sure do!" Demyx responded, glaring at Roxas, who looked back at him with a puzzled expression. _'How dare he think about my Zexy like that? Grrrrr…'_

A calm, reasonable voice that was usually on vacation on the deserted tropical beaches of Demyx's mind came out to question him. _'You know, he probably wasn't thinking about Zexion. He was probably just daydreaming about cuppycakes or something. Maybe he was thinking about Axel.'_

'_Well, maybe… I have always thought that those two would make a cute couple… but still! Only I can daydream about Zexion! My Sexy Zexy! Hey, that rhymes! I should write a song, and call it, "Ode to Zexion!"'_

'_Demyx, I'm getting the feeling that Zexion doesn't like you at all. He doesn't exactly enjoy spending time around you at all…'_

'_Awww, he's just shy. Give him some time.'_

'_Demyx, get it through your head! He only thinks of you as an annoying idiot put on this world to torment him!'_

'_Does not!'_

'_Does too!' _

'_Does not!'_

'_Does too!'_

As they argued back and forth, Zexion was about to fall asleep again. _'Dammit,'_ he thought, _'why don't I have voices in my head like all these other people? Why do I get the Weather Channel?' _ He listened as the voice of a boring weatherman droned on about the cold front that was hitting the U.S. _'What is the U.S. anyway?'_

'_As a cold front sweeps in, you can expect showers in Spokane. Temperatures are up there, and it's hot in Topeka.' _The voice lectured on about Kansas, whatever that was. It sounded boring. This, of course, was the real reason Zexion fell asleep in class and was so emo. He couldn't take it anymore. He snapped.

"WHY THE HELL DO I CARE IF IT'S GOING TO BE HOT IN TOPEKA?" he screamed, making Axel and Roxas flinch. Demyx was still arguing with himself, and didn't notice.

'_Does not!'_

'_Does too!' _

'_Does not, and I'll prove it!'_ He turned to Zexion, who had wide, blood-shot eyes and was rocking back and forth in his seat, muttering something about "Topeka" and "Make it stop."

Demyx smiled sweetly. "Oh, Zexion! Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"YES!" Zexion practically screamed into Demyx's face.

"OK, then, I just wanted to ask you how you feel about me!"

"…You really want me to answer that question?"

"Yeah, of course!" Demyx said, confident in his ability to be right.

"I HATE EVERYTHING IN THE WHOLE FUCKING WORLD, AND YOU MOST OF ALL!"

"Yeah, that's what I thought… you'd… say…" Demyx's lower lip quivered as he took in what Zexion had said. "D-do you… really… mean it, Zexion?"

Too late, Zexion realized that he had gone too far and had really hurt Demyx. "No, wait, I didn't…" he called out, but Demyx had already thrown himself out of the room in despair, trailed by his sobs. "I'm sorry…" Zexion quickly followed him out of the room, trying to catch up and apologize.

Roxas and Axel looked at each other.

"So… what now?"

"Why don't I help teach you about envy and jealousy in greater detail?"

"Sounds good to me!" They set to work, but they could still hear Demyx's sobs and the futile pounding of Zexion's footsteps as he ran to catch up.

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Xiana: Oooh! Cliffy again! Will Demyx get back together with Zexion? Will everyone confess their secret love for one another? Will there be pizza? Of course! Review to motivate my super duper typing fingers!


	7. Double Fake Out

Xiana: Chapter 7! Random insanity with Toshi the pizza girl! Yay! And it was Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends reference in the last chapter! Yay! Also: my parents bought a lemon meringue pie right after I wrote about it last chapter! Weird, huh?

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, and Toshi owns… herself.

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_Double Fake Out_

Zexion skidded down the hallway and slowed down outside Demyx's room. He could hear Demyx crying within, and felt a twinge of remorse once more. He decided to sit outside the room and wait until Demyx calmed down before going in to apologize. Zexion wouldn't usually have cared so much, but the way he had treated Demyx had been intolerable even if he was under a lot of stress.

It's just… being around Demyx seemed to bring out the worst in people, especially Zexion. He was more generally scornful and sarcastic, always with negative results, when he was around Demyx than any other member of the Organization. Despite this, Demyx had still seemed to like Zexion and was open about his feelings. Zexion decided it would be a good idea to try and be more like Demyx.

He also decided to be nicer to Demyx too. The poor kid was doing the best he could when everyone else in the castle looked down on him. Zexion didn't even try to imagine how he would feel in Demyx's place. He sat against the door in silence for a moment.

Wait, silence! He stood up and knocked on the door. "Demyx… can I come in?"

A muffled noise that could have been "No, go away, you hate me so leave me alone," or possibly, "Sure,' came from within. Zexion turned the knob gently and stepped gingerly into the room, unsure of what Demyx's reaction would be.

The usually bright room was dark and dismal, and Demyx was lying on his bed, facing away from the door. Zexion stepped closer to the bed as Demyx rolled farther away.

Demyx spoke, his voice rough from crying. "Thought you hated me, didn't wanna be round me no more."

"No! That's not true… It's just, I know this is no excuse, but I've been kinda stressed out lately… and around you I always feel worse… well, that came out wrong, but I just want you to know that it's not your fault Dem, because I like you, I really do! It's just, sometimes when I'm around you, I feel bad because you're the type of person I want to be. I know I could never be like you. But if I try, and feel like I can become a better person…."

As Zexion continued talking and trying to cheer up Demyx, he walked over to the bed and sat on it softly, placing a hand gently on top of Demyx's head. "So, if you will, please give me another chance." Zexion finished, realizing as he said the words that he really did believe them. _'Hm… could this mean that I really am falling for Demyx, as he would like to believe? I refuse to believe that, for it is proven that Nobodies have no feelings, no emotions, no hearts…'_

A small voice commented, _'Well, why did it hurt you inside when you were cruel to him?'_

"Okay, Zexion. I'll forgive you. But you have to promise to think before you say things too. Ok? Because I wanna be more like you, too. I wanna be someone who people will look up too, not just a clown everyone makes fun of…" Demyx said all this in a shaky voice that sounded as if he was about to cry again.

"I promise, Dem, I promise. Friends?" Zexion lifted himself off the bed and held his hand out to help him up.

Demyx took his outreached hand gratefully. "Friends."

"Come on, we better get back to class."

"Yeah, who knows what those two are doing alone in there together…"

----Axel and Roxas----

"All right, so if envy is for something you want, and if the definition we're using for jealousy is for something you don't want to share with others, can you give me an example of something you're envious of?"

"Hm… well, let me think about it…" Roxas pondered for several seconds before turning back to Axel. "Maybe, um, Demyx's CD collection… and, uh, Marluxia's waffle making talent I guess…"

"Ok, good. Can you think of any characteristics you might be envious of that you see in someone else?" Axel was secretly hoping Roxas was going to say something about how he looked up to Axel.

"Uh… can you give me an example first?" Roxas asked, blue eyes blinking in confusion.

"Oh, um…" Axel was taken aback. No matter how long as he thought, he could only come up with traits he admired in Roxas. "Well, let's see… You, for one, have skill at lots of things, and you're never condescending or mean, and you're really cute…" Axel stopped, realizing what he was saying, and blushed, hands covering his mouth.

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "You… think I'm cute?"

"Haha, well, of course, who doesn't? I mean, once we took a random survey and you were the cutest member by far, even though there really isn't that much competition around here, I mean, look at Xemnas, but still…" Axel babbled on, trying to cover up his mistake.

"No, it's okay. I just didn't know that's how you felt, is all." Roxas smiled at Axel while wondering if his internal voice had been right all along. He hadn't reacted hardly at all when Axel had called him cute, and in fact it had made him feel a slight warmth in his chest. The more he thought about the possibilities, the more he wondered why he hadn't thought about them before. He definitely enjoyed the idea of being with Axel, feeling his smooth warmness against his cold, pale skin. Axel was smart, accessible, fun to be around, and not at all hard on the eyes.

The more Axel came up in Roxas' thoughts, the more Roxas believed that his feelings from before were true, and possibly that this was what Axel had been aiming for all along. And all that stuff in the kitchen with his dreams and caring more? Roxas mentally berated himself. How could he have been so stupid? Friends? He had probably just driven Axel further away… "Well, I voted for you on that survey!" Roxas said, showing a winning smile.

Axel was confused. Roxas… thought he was cute…? The innocent, childish expression on Roxas' face made it evident that Roxas was being serious, yet not in a way that was showing stronger, not just friendly, affection. Axel sighed almost sadly. Yet more proof that Roxas didn't really return his feelings. "Thanks Rox."

"You're welcome." Axel had called him Rox, which meant he wasn't really taking him seriously. Maybe Roxas _had_ been right the first time, when he believed Axel didn't have feelings for him at all. Roxas felt quite embarrassed, and wished things could go back to the way they were before. Before Roxas had started thinking about the possibilities. Before he had imagined them being together happily. Before he couldn't imagine living without him. Still, maybe Axel had misunderstood. He decided to try again. Axel was describing jealousy and asking if Roxas could give him an example. Time for a second chance.

"Well… I get jealous when I'm hanging out with you and someone interrupts, and you talk to them instead of me." Roxas grabbed Axel's arm and pouted cutely.

Axel froze. Roxas… was seriously messing with him, wasn't he? Unless he was being serious, but… Roxas' expression… The only conclusion Axel was able to come up with was that Roxas, incredible though it seemed, was trying to flirt with him. "Roxas, I-" Axel was cut off mid-sentence as the door burst open, revealing Demyx and Zexion.

"Aw, man! Nothing happened!" Demyx whined.

"Uh… what did you think was going to happen?" Axel asked, not sure he wanted to know.

"Oh, nothing…" Zexion hid a smile.

"Wrong!" Demyx yelled. "Zexion thought we were going to come back and find you two in here making out!"

"Wha-what?" Axel and Roxas yelled together. They glanced at each other, faces red, before turning away, each with a vivid picture in his mind.

It was Demyx and Zexion's turns to start laughing at Axel and Roxas, who were trying determinedly not to make eye contact, fearful that they wouldn't be able to control the feelings that were growing from that one mental image.

"I told you we should have have waited longer, Zexy! But nooooooo! You were just too impatient! You had to just barge right in!"

"Well, Demyx, you know what they say. Hindsight is 20/20."

"Hindsight? Isn't that when you have eyes in your butt?" Demyx asked, trying to take a look at Zexion's DAMN FINE ASS to see if there were eyes there.

This finally broke through Axel and Roxas' determined silence, and they couldn't resist joining in the laughter. Everyone just kinda laughed for a while.

Eventually, Axel got up from his seat by Roxas' desk. "Because all of you are such great students and all have A-plusses, I'm ordering pizza so we can have a party!"

"YAY!" Demyx and Roxas cheered while Zexion just gave a weak "w00t."

Axel raced to the conveniently located closet and grabbed a conveniently located phone. "Hello, Super Pizza Delivery? We'll have two cheese, a pepperoni, and a sausage. Bring it to The Castle That Never Was, Axel's Room of Doom! You've got 15 minutes!" He turned back to the others. "Their guarantee says 15 minutes or less, or your meal's free!"

"Isn't that the pizza company located on the other side of town?" Roxas asked, confused.

"Exactly. They've always been about 10 seconds late, so I get free pizza all the time!"

"Now we just have to wait."

--------------30 seconds later--------------

"I'm bored! When is the pizza coming? I'm hungry!"

"14 minutes, Dem. Why don't you… make up a new song? In the closet, so it'll be a surprise when you play it for us!"

"OK!"

--------------13 minutes, 59 seconds later--------------

"3 seconds, 2, 1…" The door burst open right as time was about to run out.

"Ha! I, Toshi, have defeated you this time, vile customer Axel!" the pizza delivery girl shouted triumphantly. Zexion couldn't help noticing that her stylin' 'Super Pizza Delivery' uniform came complete with a cape, which was now swirling for dramatic effect.

She set the pizzas down and held her hand out. "That'll be 525,600 munny, please!"

'_525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure,   
measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In  
inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes - how do you  
measure a year in the life?  
How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of  
love._

525,600 minutes! 525,000 journeys to plan. 525,600 minutes - how can you measure  
the life of a woman or man?

In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, or  
the way that she died.

It's time now to sing out, tho the story never ends let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends. Remember the love! Remember the love! Remember the love! Measure in love. Seasons of love! Seasons of love.' Axel, Roxas, and Zexion sang in harmony!

"Uh, sorry about that." Axel handed Toshi the money.

She pouted. "What? No tip?"

Axel shrugged. "Just take something on your way out."

She smiled. "Yay, random theft! Uhm, before I go… I just thought I'd mention this, but… your closet appears to be in pain."

Strange sounds were indeed coming from the closet, and Zexion paused to wonder how Demyx was so good at performing when all of his practices sounded like the screams of a preppy girl who had just been thrown off the Grand Canyon and was doomed to fall for 10,000 years with only cat food to eat. Not that Zexion knew what a Grand Canyon was, he just thought it sounded cool.

"Yeah, um… just leave please." Axel shoved Toshi out the door and slammed it.

"Now then, everyone gets eight slices total." After a few minutes of silence, Axel decided to turn on the radio to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, it was set to some classical music station! Axel yelled, "Damn you, Mozart!" and threw the radio out the window, narrowly avoiding hitting Toshi, who was whistling cheerfully and flipping through a stack of photos she had gotten from Larxene's room in the 'Blackmail Drawer.' She grabbed the remains of the radio and ran for her car.

"Sweet! Now I can sell this on eBay to some crazy fangirl and get rich! Or maybe just one of my fellow co-workers! And I can tell everyone that Axel hates Mozart!" She drove off, cackling evilly.

"Well…. That was scary," Axel commented after a moment of stunned silence.

"And the worst part is, it was Beethoven all along."

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Xiana: Argh, sorry it took so long to update! Now, a little question for you. Who want's to work at Super Pizza Delivery, aka The Crazy Fangirl Pizza Shop? (smiles mysteriously) If you do, there may be a part for you in the story later on! How's that for motivation?


	8. Demyx and Zexion

Xiana: Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter 8. Although I really am not sure I wrote this well, so please be kind in your reviews. (bows) It really is a big closet, isn't it…

Note: Dad, if you really did find my story and are reading it… please don't read this chapter. DX

Disclaimer: Don't own.

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_Demyx and Zexion Come out of the Closet… Literally._

Everyone had eaten their eight slices of pizza, but there were still the remains of 2 pizzas left! Suddenly, Zexion remembered! "Aw, man, I forgot to feed my fish this morning."

"How does that help us solve the mystery of the mysterious pizza?" Roxas yelled.

"Oh, that? We just forgot to tell Demyx to come out. Now then, Bubbles is probably hungry…"

"BRILLIANT!" Axel and Roxas yelled at the same time.

"And since you solved the mysterious mystery of the mysteriously mysterious left over pizza, you get to be the one to tell Demyx to come out!" Roxas added.

They shoved Zexion into the conveniently located closet from which discordant sounds still wafted occasionally.

Zexion fumbled around in the darkness until he found a light switch. "Demyx, why were you in the dark?" He looked around. "Demyx?" The other boy was nowhere to be found. He was about to leave and see if Demyx had already left when he felt a pair of thin arms wrap around his neck from behind.

"I knew _you'd_ come for me, Zexion…"

"Demyx, what-" Zexion wheeled around, but was unable to finish his sentence when Demyx kissed him slowly, intensely. Zexion's eyes widened, and he looked wildly into Demyx's eyes. His eyes were lowered, hidden behind thick lashes. His eyebrows were raised into a worried expression, as if the boy was fearful of rejection. Zexion was unsure how to react. He stood there until Demyx pulled back.

Demyx frowned. "…Don't you want to kiss me back?"

"Demyx….?" Zexion was unsure what had just happened. "Why did you…"

"Because I wanted to. Does it matter?" Demyx pouted, somewhat cutely Zexion had to admit.

He was in the process of deciding between the two polar opposites, "Of course it matters, you just freaking kissed me!" and "Kiss me again you fool!" and decided instead to say, "Uh, well, I guess not really…"

"Good!" Demyx smiled. "Because I like kissing my pretty emo cross-dressing boy!"

"…what?"

"You're my pretty emo cross-dressing boy!"

"Dem, I'm my own person. I don't belong to you." Zexion chose to ignore the 'pretty emo cross-dressing boy' part.

Demyx smirked evilly. "We can change that…"

Zexion backed away slowly. "How about… not?"

"Well, it's either that or I get to kiss you again!" Demyx smiled. It was a win-win situation for everyone!

Zexion sighed. "Just get it ov-" Just as before, Demyx hadn't let him finish the thought, and instead had taken the opportunity to push his tongue gently into Zexion's mouth. Zexion tried to back away, but found himself backed up against the wall. He pushed against Demyx's chest, trying to get him off, but Demyx just took this as a sign of affection, and ran his fingers tenderly through Zexion's thin hair, settling his fingers gently at the base of Zexion's neck. Zexion shuddered at the cold touch, and found himself drifting farther into the warm kiss. At long last, Demyx drew back once more and wrapped his arms tightly around Zexion's waist, holding him tightly.

"I love you, Zexy. I really do. And I hope you can accept that, because I won't give up until I've found your heart and claimed it as my own." The events of the day thus far had made Demyx bold. He felt that Zexion owed him something for being so distant and cold earlier, and was determined to get as much out of it as possible.

Zexion sighed. "Are you done yet?" He shoved Demyx roughly off him and reached for the door. "Come on, let's get back to the others." Demyx jumped in front of him.

"Come on, one more?" he asked with a puppy-dog face.

Zexion sighed once more. "If I kiss you back this time, will you promise no more?"

"Sounds good to me!"

------Earlier, with Axel and Roxas------

"Uh… Axel… The closet's making strange sounds again…" They both looked at each other.

"Hahahahaha!" They started laughing hysterically. They may have had a different attitude if they had known that their mental images were not dissimilar from what was happening in the closet that very moment. They had finally gotten back under control when a knock sounded at the door and…

-----Back in the Closet!-----

Zexion took charge. _'Better get this over with…'_ He took a deep breath, leaned forward, and met Demyx's lips. He put all his feeling into the kiss, all his frustration and anger. His tongue pushed deeply into Demyx's willing mouth, and he savored the salty-sweet taste he found. He reached his arms around Demyx's head, ruffling the boy's dirty blond hair, making Demyx moan with delight. He intensified the passion by leaning even more onto Demyx, feeling the boy's arms wrap around his slim waist again.

It was about then that he realized the door was opening, spilling the two onto the floor. He could vaguely recall hearing another door open and close, and Axel's voice saying something like, "No, I didn't do anything with your blackmail pictures and stuff, Larxene." Oh, shit.

Zexion quickly pulled himself off Demyx, ending the kiss anti-climactically, but not before Larxene had managed to take about four pictures with her digital camera. And she could use the copies to make more in her personal darkroom. Oh, shit.

He glanced around helplessly. He should run! NO! Then Demyx would give them a false story!

He should run away, and take Demyx with him! NO! They would make up a story worse than Demyx's!

He decided the only remaining course of action was to remain calm and dispel the rumors before they had a chance to begin. It wasn't the smartest plan, but it was the only one he could come up with on such short notice.

He sat calmly on Axel's bed, though his… heart? Whatever, it was that vital organ that kept him… alive? Anyway, it was beating rapidly, threatening to burst out of his chest. He wasn't exactly sure how to describe it, seeing as how it was what kept him alive, yet he was not alive, but… Hm.

Demyx dusted himself off and pulled himself to his feet. He meandered over to the bed, sitting down right next to Zexion, his pretty emo cross-dressing best-kisser-in-the-whole-fucking-WORLD boy. And why not?

Axel and Roxas had horrified expressions on their faces. _'Seriously? WTF?'_

Larxene (a yaoi fangirl at heart) was giggling madly over the best blackmail she had had in years, ever since that one Christmas party when everyone got drunk and Xigbar and Marluxia had… but this was better anyway. She also had an XD-like expression on her face because Demyx and Zexion were just so cute of a couple!

Zexion was calmly and rationally thinking about calmly and rationally throwing himself out the window. But he was wearing that dress again. Damn. Damn damn damn damn DAMN!

After the laughter had finally subsided (2 ½ hours later), Larxene started interviewing Zexion and Demyx. "So now, how long have you two been going out?"

Zexion quickly said, "We aren't!" as Demyx said, "Oh, we just got together recently, but we've already…" Demyx trailed off mysteriously.

"Interesting." Larxene made a few notes on her little notepad. "Now… who liked the... non-other first?"

Demyx and Zexion pointed at each… non-other. "That guy has had a crush on me for, like, ever," They said together, though Demyx said it in a much sweeter tone than Zexion's bitter one.

"All right, next question! What were you two doing in my conveniently located closet?" Axel asked bluntly.

Zexion yelled, "It wasn't what it looked like!" at the same time Demyx yelled, "It was exactly what it looked like!"

Roxas frowned. "Who do we believe?"

Axel quickly stood up and struck a pose. "We shall have a trial! So we can find the truth, and learn about the American legal system!"

"Uh… what's America?" everyone asked, confused.

Axel shrugged. "I think it's some sort of fast food chain that keeps getting sued by unhappy customers, yet always manages to win."

'_Hm, America… isn't that where Topeka is? But if it's a fast-food chain, is Topeka a hamburger of something? Was it a commercial?' _ Zexion tried to use his dramatically logical powers of reasoning and great hair to figure it out, but decide to stop before his brain exploded (it would have).

"So… we're going to have a trial! That means we need a lawyer, no, two! And a judge, with a gavel and one of those wig thingies! And witnesses and evidence and a jury! Wow, there's lots of people, we'll need to get more!" Demyx yelled, getting very excited about the whole thing.

"Uh… since when do you know anything about the American legal system?" Axel asked, surprised by Demyx's knowledge.

"Since I read this book while Zexion was thinking about Topeka being a burger." Demyx held up a paperback entitled, Everything you Ever wanted To learn About being On trial And the American legal System, written For idiots, By idiots. "Also, I can tell you with complete certainty that Topeka is not a burger. It's a clam-and-artichoke appetizer!"

'_The voice was talking about clam-and-artichoke appetizers? What the hell?' _Zexion thought angrily.

"Anyway, we have to tell everyone! And give them summonses! So they know to come!" Roxas yelled excitedly.

"How do you know that?" Axel asked curiously.

"Since I read this book while Zexion was thinking angrily about clam-and-artichoke appetizers," Roxas said, holding up a monstrously thick book entitled, A Reference and Manual to Litigation and the Necessary Process of Prosecution, Defense, and Terminal Ruling.

Everyone sweat-dropped. "You… read that?" Axel asked incredulously.

"Well, I only got to Appendix G, Sub-section 24, paragraph 5, line 2…" Roxas flipped to a page in the far back of the book.

"Wow…" Axel, Larxene, and Zexion were impressed. Demyx was not.

"You just stole my book!" Demyx accused.

"Heheh, sorry?" Roxas looked away.

"Waaaaaaaaah! Give it back!" Roxy and Demy went chibified and started running around the room, Demyx chasing Roxas.

Axel and Larxene watched them run cutely. Zexion just sat on the bed, wondering where he could find a different outfit so that he could kill himself ASAP. _'Hm, there would probably be some clothes in the closet… No! Not the closet! Damn you, evil closet!'_ Zexion glared at the closet that was causing him so much pain and sorrow.

By now, Demyx was lying exhausted on the floor, and Roxas was waving the book triumphantly in the air. Axel snatched it from the shorter boy's hand, holding it up to read.

"Hey, give that back!" Roxas started jumping up and down, trying to get the book back.

"Wow, a little height makes a lot of difference," Axel mentioned casually, turning the page.

Roxas finally managed to grab a corner of the book, but was knocked off-balance by equilibrium, or some such thing, causing him to crash into Axel, knocking them both to the floor.

"Uhhhh… and you said I was heavy…" Axel laughed, looking up at Roxas, who was blushing furiously.

"Are you… calling me fat?" Roxas asked self-consciously.

"Awwww, I bet it's all muscle,' Axel reassured him. "Now… would you mind getting off?"

"…Sorry." Roxas held out his hand to help Axel up, but they dropped hands immediately after Axel regained his balance.

"Anyway, we have to decide positions. Like, who will be the judge and stuff!"

"Right, first things first. Demyx and Zexion, you guys have to choose who you want to be your lawyers."

"I call Larxene!" Demyx yelled immediately. Zexion sighed. Who would go against Larxene? He was doomed.

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Xiana: Ok, my e-mail is messed up, but for all you guys who wanted to join the Crazy Fangirl Pizza Shop, please send me a description or something in your review for this chapter. This will really help me on chapter… 10. Thanks!


	9. Confetti Confessions

Xiana: Woohoo chapter 9! This is pretty cool, I guess. I went to the mall and got my ears pierced yesterday and tommorow is pirate day for homecoming! Yay! Now for chapter 9. With a special appearance by Kel, playing the part of herself. (bows) I'm sorry…

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Confetti Confessions 

After a half-hour or so, they had created a list of people to be on the jury and to hold various positions. The list went something like this…

Judge: Xaldin

Lawyerss: Larxene, Vexen

Bailiff: Xigbar

Jury members: Xemnas, Lexaeus, Saïx, Luxord, Marluxia, others TBA

Audience: Random Nobodies

**x**Star Witnesses**x**: Axel and Roxas!

They decided that Axel and Roxas should make the summonses for jury duty, Demyx should get Xaldin and Xigbar prepared for their jobs, and Zexion would go get Vexen to legally represent him. Larxene got out of doing anything by explaining quite eloquently that she would need to examine the evidence and begin putting together her case against Zexion, though in reality she just wanted to make copies of the film before Zexion could destroy the memory card or something.

Axel and Roxas sat down at what looked like a little kindergarten table for arts and crafts and began creating official-looking documents. "Roxas, you read that book, right? Is there shiny stuff on summonses?"

"I dunno! We should put some on anyway!"

"Okay!" Axel pulled a bag full of sparkly confetti out of a random drawer.

They took turns sprinkling it over the invitations, which now looked slightly less official. They were so absorbed in this task that they didn't realize everyone else had left until Roxas asked, "So, who else do we invite?"

After a bit of silence, Axel finally commented, "Well, the only people I know besides the rest of the Organization are the people from that pizza place… And they're all crazy fangirl-ish types. You know…" He shuddered.

"How exactly does that work? Like, our fangirls?"

"Yes Roxas, our fangirls," Axel repeated, emphasizing the word our. "Mostly anyway… I'm pretty sure I know whose side they're already on."

"Well, biased juries are the best we can do on such short notice." Roxas wasn't exactly worried. It didn't really affect him, right?

"Still, they love spreading rumors. Like that one time, when Vexen had been working in the lab for five days straight, and this Kel girl came bringing me pizza. Vexen came up looking like he had risen from the dead and was moaning, 'Fooooooood' like some sort of zombie. She screamed so loud she woke up Saïx, who was right next door. He came out all grumpy and stuff right when she threw the pizzas up in the air. So then it landed on his head, and Larxene was conveniently there to take a picture. So that moment was recorded forever. I wonder if Toshi took that one. Anyway-" he was cut off by Roxas.

"Shut up," Roxas said curtly.

"B-but Roxy…" Axel was hurt.

Roxas smiled. "Just tell me one thing: pepperoni, cheese, or mushroom?"

Axel laughed, relieved that Roxas had been joking. "Actually… it was double sauce and anchovy. I ordered it 'cuz I was curious."

Roxas thought of Saïx with a double-sauce-anchovy pizza on his shining blue locks he took such pride in. He liked that image so much that he had an XD-like expression on his face when Axel looked up from drawing a lovely, kindergarten-y flower on someone's notice. (It was pink.) He jumped up and ran around the small table to give Roxas a big hug.

"Awwwwwwwww, you're so cute!" Axel squeezed the younger boy tightly. He couldn't really help himself. In fact, it was lucky (for Roxas?) that Axel hadn't given him a biiiiiiiig smooch. For being so adorably cute, of course. No smooching out of context. Because that wouldn't be cool. With Roxy that is. Because Roxas was not going to appreciate random smooching. Just if it had a point. Or maybe not. Maybe Roxas wasn't going to tolerate a smooch from Axel in any sort of context. Hm.

Axel realized that he had captured Roxas so tightly in his sweet embrace, that Roxas was having a hard time breathing. "Aaah, Roxy, I'm so sorry!" he gasped, letting go and running to face Roxas.

After a few minutes of breathing heavily, Roxas looked up and smiled. "It's okay Axel, I don't mind being squeezed to death by you!" He was obviously flirting again, but for what purpose?

Axel decided to ask him straight up. " Uh… Just what is it that you're insinuating?"

Roxas looked away. Axel had caught on, but he hadn't seemed to like it. Was he wrong? The way Axel had been treating him was very affectionate, but what if he only considered Roxas a friend, all evidence to the contrary? He looked back at Axel, deciding he had to do something. Aha!

Axel had noted the expression on Roxas' face and the way he had turned away from his gaze. The voice from before had returned, saying, _'See, there's your proof. And he _is_ afraid of rejection.'_

'_I'm finding it harder and harder to argue with you, especially when we all want the same thing.'_

'_True dat, bra. Oh, sorry, that was out of character. Um… Go get Roxy, yeah!'_ the voice cheered before leaving again.

Axel refocused on the situation at hand to be startled by Roxas, gazing into his eyes from just inches away. "Holy crap, Roxas! You scared me!" he gasped, holding a hand to his rapidly beating heart… thing.

Roxas frowned slightly. "Sorry, Axel. It's just…you had a little bit of glitter right here…." He brushed his fingers lightly over Axel's cheek, tracing the line of Axel's tattoo before flicking an invisible particle off his hand as he regretfully drew back.

Axel stared at Roxas. The boy smiled hopefully back. Axel instinctively raised his hand to his face, feeling where Roxas had made contact, however briefly it was. Although Roxas' hands were cold, his cheek turned red and he realized he was blushing. "Roxas…" Roxas looked into his eyes, obviously waiting for him to say something, but Axel didn't know what he wanted to say.

"I… I…" Dammit. What seemed so easy in theory was once again proving difficult in practice. Axel knew he wanted Roxas. Hell, he could even make a case for loving him. But even when Roxas was definitely reciprocating his feelings, he couldn't say the words he wanted to.

"I… I…Roxas…" He looked at Roxas pleadingly, hoping he could say the words, wanting to, desperately wanting to, with all his being. He couldn't force the words out. I love you, Roxas. How hard could it be?

When it was evident that no more words would escape the accursed prison of his lips, a wave of anguish rose within him. He sank down to his knees, wondering what was wrong. Why couldn't he tell Roxas all he had ever wanted to?

Roxas frowned. This was most definitely not going according to plan. Wasn't this the part where Axel was supposed to confess his undying love for him? He rather doubted Axel didn't have any feelings for him, after that last scene, but…

It appeared as if Roxas was going to have to make a move, after all. No problem. He could do this…

Slowly, Roxas bent down, kneeling closer to Axel's level. He gently pulled Axel's chin up so that Axel's emerald eyes were forced to gaze into his own. Roxas spoke softly, gently, carefully, yet Axel caught every word. "I understand, Axel. I know what you're trying to say. I understand completely. I also understand if you can't say what you want to. Just as long as you don't give up trying to tell me what it is you want to tell me. When you tell me what you want to say, I'll tell you something too, promise?" Roxas gently kissed Axel on the forehead and stood up.

In a normal tone, he said, "I'll deliver these letters to everyone, so don't worry." He grabbed the confetti-covered letters and set off for the others' rooms and the pizza place. Before leaving, he turned back, as if to give Axel one more chance.

Axel remained in that position for several more hours, replaying those events over and over in his head, until his knees gave out and he toppled to his side. A single tear traced the path Roxas had oh-so-recently drawn with his finer. "Roxas… I'm sorry…" he whispered, before falling into a nightmarish limbo between blessed sleep and the cruel life that was the reality he found himself in.

He rolled over restlessly, staring senselessly at the dark ceiling. Everything always seemed better in daylight. Axel only prayed this would be the same.

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Xiana: I'm sorry. It's a sad end to a chapter, isn't it? I'll try to update soon, the next chapter is much better.

Next chapter: Roxas visits pizza girls, Zexion discovers something terrible, and some guy Fred gets beaten up.


	10. The Nameless Chapter

Xiana: Yay! Chapter 10! Double digits! Wahoo! Ummm. . .

Reviewers: **Onemoreparadise, AeroFlux, artspaz, lunarxshinobi, Shiguna, EyesWideShut41, ASKInfinity, xxOathkeeper, Kitsune Bara, StringynKel, Shadow of Darkness 22, AnimeDutchess, Ookami Aya**

Sorry I forgot last chapter…

Note: Kelsey, REVIEW! You too, Alex. If you are reading this. Which I doubt. Just leave anonymous if you're too lazy, you Lazy Zexion(s).

Other Note: I didn't put you in this chapter, Kelseyand **Stringy**. I apologize, but I needed to… ahem… get rid of some characters…

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The Nameless Chapter 

Roxas delivered all the letters quickly, wondering if he had done the right thing. When he got to the pizza place, he slipped off his skateboard, falling face first onto the pavement. Before he could get up, he heard the snap of a camera and the giggling of several teenage girls. He quickly got back to his feet and kicked his skateboard to the side. As he walked into the door, a bell jingled and many girls yelled, "HI!"

Roxas looked around the pizza shop, soaking in the warmth after the sharp chill of the fall outside. He saw many girls standing around the counter, and one tossing pizza crust in the back. He walked up to the counter, as the most likely place, and asked who was in charge.

Nobody seemed to know, but one girl with longish-blue hair raised her hand doubtfully. "I think I'm in charge this shift…"

"Okay, great. I need you to deliver these letters to Toshi, Kel … Dutchess, Shiguna, Breeze, Yumi, Infinity, Jenna, and Xiana."

"Okay! I'm Xiana!"

"Well, then here you go." Roxas handed Xiana the letters. He was definitely out of it. Not only was he surrounded by teenage girls that seemed to worship him, but the earlier episode with Axel had left him drained. He stood in silence, watching detachedly as Xiana gave letter after sparkly letter to one person or another.

Xiana gave a letter to some Emo Nerd girl, wearing long, dark clothes with boots. Roxas resisted the urge to question her fashion choices.

She also handed letters to a bespectacled girl with short brown hair, a girl named Breeze who was slightly reminiscent of Larxene, a girl named Jenna, and a girl named Kel who had dark black hair and was wearing a medieval gown with what appeared to be armor on beneath. Another one to add to the questionable fashion taste column. She also handed one to Toshi, who Roxas recognized, and then went to the back to give the only one actually doing any work a letter. A green haired and a purple haired girl both sighed, wishing that they had gotten letters too. Roxas looked at them. If anything happened to anyone… they cold be on the jury or whatever to, he thought.

"Hey, Infinity, here's a letter from Axel!"

"LYKE OHMIGAWD! Seriously?" The girl yelled excitedly until the pizza flopped down on her head, effectively muffling her.

Xiana smiled and handed her the letter. "Enjoy!"

Infinity grabbed the letter, clutching it tightly to her chest. "I'll never let it go…"

"Don't you want to read it?" Xiana asked curiously.

"Nah, I'm good."

"It's a jury summonses," Roxas offered helpfully.

"Oooh, courtroom drama." Jenna said, snapping her pink bubble gum.

"Who's on trial?" Kel asked excitedly.

"Uh… It's the case of Zexion v. Demyx. I dunno what the charges are or anything though." Roxas turned to leave now that everyone had received their letters, but was stopped by Xiana.

"LYKE, OHMIGAWD, you can't leave yet. You're the first bishie we've seen in like forever."

"No kidding," added Yumi. "The only other person who comes here is this guy Fred."

"AND FRED'S NOT PRETTY!" Everyone else yelled in unison. They gave Roxas a pizza, completely at random.

Roxas had finished the pizza and was about to go when Infinity yelled, "Be sure to say hi to that cutie Axel for me, will ya?"

Roxas reacted quickly. "Hell no, Axel's mine, bitches!" he yelled instinctively.

There was a moment of silence before everyone started yelling things like "ZOMG! Yaoi!"

Roxas quickly fled, but found his skateboard had been crushed by some guy's Hummer H3. "What the fuck!" he yelled, extremely pissed off.

A guy in a cowboy hat and boots, and what he obviously thought were 'gangsta' clothes stepped out of the ugly-ass SUV. "Hey girly, sorry I done busted yer ride," he slurred in a low voice. "How's about you ride with me instead?" He leered at Roxas.

Roxas slapped him. "First off, I'm a boy, got it memorized? Second of all, your stupid… thing," he said distastefully, "just crushed my 10,000,000 munny limited-edition skateboard, so I suggest you hand over the cash, unless you wanna fight. And in the mood I'm in, you better be ready to die, asshole," he spit, glaring at the man with a sadistic smile, daring him to say anything.

The man backed up and tried to run for the car, but Roxas grabbed him by the collar and thrust him angrily into the wall of the pizza place. He curled his other hand into a fist. "Whoa, whoa, easy…" the man begged, pleading for mercy.

"Easy? EASY? I had to fucking get the guy I like to realize I was flirting with him, am currently competing for his affections with some pizza girls, and whenever it looked like he was going to tell me he liked be back, we either got interrupted by some thunder witch who only cares about herself, or an idiot and an emo who accused us of making out, and later fell out of the closet together doing that very thing! On top of all that, he couldn't even tell me he likes me back! So you think you have problems now, bitch?" he screamed, taking all his anger and frustration out on the guy, who really _did_ deserve it.

He was vaguely aware that the girls had gathered outside and were cheering things like, "Go, Roxy! Kick that guy's ass!" He was too focused on causing as much pain as possible to Fred (for it was Fred.)

He punched him in the gut, then in the eye. He smacked him around for a little bit longer, finally ending by breaking his nose and kicking him savagely in the groin. Roxas was so full of rage that he actually threw the man through the bullet-proof windshield of the Hummer, then stalked angrily away.

----------

Zexion plodded down the hallway to outside of Vexen's lab. He knocked softly and came in nervously. He could hear the grating sound of machinery within as he stepped up the stairs to the upper level, where the machinery was running. He looked around the room, gasping when he finally saw where Vexen was. "LUXORD!" Zexion yelled, sprinting wildly down the stairs and careening around corners until he came to Luxord's room, panting heavily.

He burst into a random poker game Luxord was hosting with some local Dusks. Luxord froze in the process of collecting the hapless trio's last chips, but straightened and stood when Zexion came running in. "Zexion, what can I do for you?" he asked jovially. "Come to set up a game?"

"N-no, it's Vexen. Something's wrong with him!"

Luxord's smiling expression quickly turned to one of grave concern. "Where is he now?" Zexion quickly led the way back to the lab.

Luxord was unable to speak when he saw Vexen's pallid face. He was attached to a life-support machine and was bleeding profusely from many cuts. He didn't appear to be breathing.

"What… happened?" Zexion asked, barely daring to breathe.

"I'm not sure. He may have been working on an experiment when something went wrong. He was probably able to make it back up here before he collapsed." Luxord was the substitute doctor when Vexen was away, and he didn't have too much experience.

"But… he will be okay, right?" Zexion asked desperately, voice cracking slightly. Not only was Vexen his oldest friend, but he was the only one who could win in court against Larxene.

"I…I think so. We'll run some diagnostics on him in the hospital wing and see what's wrong. He'll be fine." Luxord was trying to comfort the distraught boy, but secretly wasn't sure what help he could be. He hadn't the least idea what might have created such a deadly and sickening condition. He gently shooed Zexion out of the room. "Go on, leave everything to me."

Zexion shuffled down the hallway glumly. He couldn't have Vexen as a legal representative now, unless he somehow made a miraculous recovery before tomorrow. He needed someone else.

He continued walking, not thinking about where he was going. Xaldin, Larxene, and Xigbar were already important parts of the court. Vexen was out of commission, and Luxord would most likely need to stay with him. That left the members of the jury, and because Zexion certainly wasn't going to let a pizza-fangirly-person present hi,. That left just four.

He could easily rule out Lexaeus, who was gone on a mission and wouldn't be back until right before the trial was scheduled to begin. Lexaeus wasn't stupid, by any means, but Zexion doubted he's be able to put a convincing case together in just an hour.

Xemnas… was a psychopath. Zexion would lose for sure because any and every time Xemnas spoke in front of people, he was liable to go off on a tangent about 'darkness' and 'Kingdom Hearts' and that sort of thing. Which would definitely not help Zexion at all.

That left Saϊx, and Marluxia. Neither would have been his first choices, but they were all he had left.

Zexion stopped walking and leaned against a doorway. Pros and cons for each… They were both intelligent and would each be able to present the case in a way that would give him at least a chance to win. He narrowed his eyes. Saϊx seemed rather violent, and Marluxia seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with pretty pink flowers. Zexion usually tended to avoid both of them.

He was rummaging around in his pocket for a coin and had just thrown it in the air (Heads, he asked Saϊx, tails, he asked Marluxia) when the door scenically located within the doorway he was leaning on opened suddenly, slamming Zexion into the wall.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Marluxia pushed the door out of the way, bending over the crumpled figure worriedly.

Zexion looked over at the coin wearily. "Tails, you win," he said softly, then fainted.

---------------------

Xiana caught up with Roxas quickly. "I'm sorry Roxas. Let me give you a ride home." She pulled up in her blue convertible, letting Roxas in. They sat in silence as Xiana navigated the twists and turns of The City of Forgotten Life. When they arrived at the castle, Xiana helped Roxas out of the car. "Are you going to be okay, Roxas?"

Roxas nodded, muttering something unintelligible.

"Well, all right then…" Xiana waved uncertainly and drove away, a flash of blue in the dim light of the moon. Roxas watched until she was out of sight, then trudged slowly back into the castle.

Before going to his own room, he happened to glance in at Axel. The taller boy was stretched on the floor in an uncomfortable-looking position. Roxas sighed, and once more calling on his nearly depleted strength, was able to lift Axel and gently place him into the bed, smiling at the peaceful look on Axel's face. He turned to go, but stopped abruptly when he felt a gentle tug at one of his belt loops.

"Dun go, Roxy. Stay wif me…" Roxas was unsure whether Axel was awake or merely dreaming. He sighed again, and pulled himself in next to the redhead.

Axel smiled in his sleep, and turned over so that his face was snuggled into Roxas' chest. Roxas broke into a wide grin, enjoying the sweet vulnerability he saw in the older teen. "Good night, Axel." He looped his fingers through Axel's hair lovingly, and fell into a deep sleep.

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Xiana: Well, that's the end of that chapter! Yes… I gave myself a blue convertible. Forgive me! Forgive me too, Vexen! I'm sorry! XD Eheheheh, I'll try to update soon.

Next chapter: Bloopers!


	11. Bubblegum

Xiana: Wow, maybe I'll get 100 reviews for this chapter! That would be sweeeeeet! Here's a short little chapter.

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Bubblegum can be hazardous to your health 

Zexion blinked confusedly. He was not in his usual bed… and there was a strange scent in the air. It actually smelled nice, like flowers… He suddenly remembered the events of last night and sat up suddenly, only to be pushed right back down.

"Don't get up too quickly, you'll hurt yourself!" a frantic voice called, which he assumed belonged to Marluxia. "Um... I bandaged up your nose… I must have hit it pretty hard…" he continued shyly, unsure how Zexion would respond to being reminded that he was the one who had smacked him in the face. Zexion touched his nose gingerly and discovered that it was completely covered with gauze.

Marluxia noticed him feeling the mass of bandages and laughed nervously. "I'm sorry. I guess I got a bit carried away… I was just worried because you were unconscious on the floor bleeding so I … kinda… panicked a bit…."

"No, it's fine… I should be used to this kind of thing by now…" Zexion's life was quite tragic, and it really was no surprise that he was so emo, the things he'd been through. Which reminded him… "Oh! Marly! Will you be my lawyer?"

"…What?" Marly asked, clearly not expecting such a reaction.

"Uhm… I mean… Marluxia, I'm suing Demyx for something, and I was originally going to ask Vexen, but something happened to him, so… I was wondering if you would help me out?" Zexion asked in what he hoped was a professional-sounding voice.

"Sure, Zex. I'd be happy to help. So, what's the plan?" Marly smiled.

"Um… well, there was this whole thing with pizza and Demyx and hekindastartedmakingoutwithme…" Zexion confessed, feeling a light flush spread across his face.

Marluxia looked kind of uncomfortable. "O… kay…" he mumbled. "I think… actually I can help. Are we trying to accuse Demyx of being some kind of serial rapist or something?"

"Yeah, something like that…" Zexion looked away. He didn't really want to punish Demyx for what he did, because it mostly had been Zexion's fault… and it wasn't really like Zexion had cared. Not that he had liked it… well, only a little. Everyone likes being kissed, right? No matter who it was doing the kissing, right? And, well… _'That's enough!'_ Zexion thought angrily. _'It was all Demyx's fault; he forced me to kiss him! Why am I defending him?'_ Zexion hardened his heart to Demyx and decided to collaborate exclusively with Marluxia to tear him down and destroy him.

"All right, then let's get started!" Zexion said coldly, making Marluxia jump back slightly from the unexpected venom in his voice. Zexion smiled cruelly and began planning just how he'd win the case and grind Demyx into the dirt. And just how he'd laugh afterwards…

---------------------------

Axel was dreaming. He dreamed that he lived in a big mansion with a huge backyard. Unfortunately, the backyard was overrun with prairie dogs! As he stared out over the wide ocean of grass and pit holes, and angel flew down from above. "Use bubblegum, Axel. Gum will kill them."

Axel smiled. The angel looked like Roxas in a funny white dress, with wings and a halo and a shiny golden harp. Axel pulled random bubblegum out of his pocket and threw many pieces out. The prairie dogs began chewing the bubble gum, blew bubbles, and lifted off the ground. The Roxas-angel picked him up, lifting him among the floating rodents. He carried Axel over to an island, while the prairie dogs' bubbles popped, dropping them squealing to the ground below, where they, presumably, died.

The angel turned to leave, but Axel reached out and tugged lightly on his wing. "Don't go, Roxy. Stay with me."

The angel smiled. "Of course, Axel. You only needed to ask." He stepped back onto the ground and Axel threw his arms around him gratefully.

"Thank you, Roxas. I love you."

Axel woke up, smiling, in Roxas' arms. He found himself in bed next to Roxas, snuggled right up against his chest. He sighed happily and wrapped his arms around Roxas. "I luv you, Roxy," he mumbled quietly.

Roxas was still sleeping soundly and didn't hear. Axel sighed and pulled himself into a sitting position. He gently pulled Roxas so that the blonde's head was resting comfortably in his lap. Roxas moaned softly and rolled around, sleeping face pointing up toward Axel. Axel liked the idea that the first thing he'd see in the morning was the smile of someone who loved him.

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Demyx had been busy all this time organizing any and everything that he could do for the trial.

He had chosen to have the trial in the room called, 'The Chamber of Non-Existant Souls,' which had a large room full of rows of chairs and a huge platform where, presumably, the judge would sit. There was a huge chandelier that hung dramatically, adding to the poise and beauty of the otherwise stark room. Demyx smiled at the good choices he had made. Now he just had to get Xigbar and Xaldin to learn their jobs, and everything would be set for the trial of the century!

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Xiana: Oh… a short chapter. Now it's time for bloopers!

Chapter 1:

Zexion: "Hey, I brought back a movie."

Axel: "Which one did you get?"

Zexion: "Hmmmm… it's called 'Bring it On.'"

Everyone: "NOOOOOO! We don't want to watch a cheerleader movie!"

Marluxia: "I would…"

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(Knock at the door)

Roxas: "I'm coming!"

Roxas opened the door to see Axel carrying a pillow and wearing… a thong.

Roxas: "…" (closes door)

Chapter 2:

Axel was so excited for Roxas, he forgot all about everything that had just happened and chased after Roxas. He caught up with Roxas and hugged him.

**POOF!**

Axel was surprised to find that Roxas had turned into a cat.

Axel: "Wait… what?"

Xiana: Well, you see, this story wasn't exciting enough, so I decided to make it into a Fruits Basket crossover. You understand, right?

Axel: "But…but…"

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Roxas: "No. There is no way you're going to get me to wear that!"

Axel: (pulls out girls uniform)

Roxas: "Now see, that's much better. That, I will wear."

Chapter 3:

Demyx: "Sometimes, another voice pops into my head and tells me to do stuff! So I do!"

Zexion: "And if the voice told you to jump off a cliff, would you?"

Demyx: "What's a cliff?"

Zexion: "It's a convenient rock formation whose only purpose seems to be for people to fall off it/jump off of it/get thrown off of it."

Demyx: "Oh. In that case, no."

Zexion: "That's what I thought."

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Axel (as Mrs. Kusa): "What's the password?"

Demyx: "Pizza melon tube sock!"

Axel: " Actually, it was… wait, you were right…"

Chapter 4:

Demyx was right outside the door. Zexion had to be brave and face up to him once and for all. He opened the door.

Zexion: "Now listen, Demyx, I-" (closes door)

'_Why the hell is Elvis writing a song about me…?'_

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So then, of course, everyone pulled out their digital cameras and Zexion was hit by a blinding flash.

Zexion: "Noooooo, my eyes! I'm BLIND!" (Runs into lamppost.)

Chapter 5:

Of course, Axel just had to try and steal a cookie, but quickly gave up when he burned his fingers and quickly grabbed a cuppycake like that was what he had meant to do all along. He took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. "Roxas… these are the worst cuppycakes I've ever eaten."

"Was it too much 'flower?'" Roxas joked, holding up a daisy.

"Boke!" Axel anime-falled to the ground as Roxas started laughing at his joke.

Chapter 6:

When Axel opened the door, Roxas smiled, then shoved the pie in Axel's face. "Good morning, Axel-sensei!"

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Zexion groaned and fell asleep once more. _'The football game… even more boring than the weather!'_

Chapter 7:

Axel: "Damn you, Mozart!" (throws radio out the window)

Roxas: "Um, Axel, you hit Toshi…"

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Zexion: "And the worst part is, it was Beethoven all along."

Roxas: "Actually it was Bach."

Zexion: "Shut up."

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"_Measure in love. Seasons of love! Seasons of love."_ Everyone finished singing. They stood in silence for a moment, posing dramatically before Axel and Roxas turned angrily on Zexion.

"Dammit, you were flat in measure three! We've been over this dozens of times!"

"I'm sorry…"

Chapter 8:

Their burning kiss intensified still further as Zexion began rubbing his hands rhythmically on Demyx's chest, feeling the other boy spasm with the heated contact.

Axel: "You know you guys already fell out of the closet, right?"

Zexion: "… we know…"

Chapter 9:

Axel: "I love you, Roxas!"

Xiana: CUT! We've been over this a dozen times, Axel! You can't confess your love yet! It's not the right time! This is an angsty chappie, remember?

Axel: (hugs Roxas) "But… but I luv him…."

Chapter 10:

Zexion looked over at the coin wearily. "It's heads. You lose."

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Roxas was filled with so much rage that he actually threw Fred into the windshield. But it didn't break.

"Dammit!" he cursed loudly, throwing Fred against the windshield time and time again. "Why won't it break!"

Fred: x-x

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"Dun go, Roxy, stay with me…" Axel tugged gently on Roxas's belt loops.

Roxas gently freed the material from Axel's grasp… and his pants fell down.

"Heheheh…" Axel laughed evilly, seeing Roxas' bunny-rabbit boxers.

Xiana: All right, end of the chapter! Please review for super number 100!


	12. The Trial of the Century!

Xiana: Welcome back to the story, everyone! Here's chapter 12! Wheee! (Hands cookie to everyone who reviewed) 101 Reviews! YAYYYYYYYYYYYY!

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_The Trial of the Century!_

Larxene strode dramatically into the courtroom, heels clicking on the marble floor. She was wearing a grey suit top and matching skirt, and her hair was pulled back in a professional-looking ponytail. Beside her was Demyx, looking eagerly around at his handiwork from last night. His hair was slightly slicked back, giving it a flatter appearance, and he was wearing a clean, white, dress shirt.

From the other side of the room entered Marluxia and Zexion. Marly was wearing a conservative black suit and a dark blue tie with a single rose on it. Zexion's suit was a light, aqua-esque blue that brought out the color of his hair.

The two sides faced each other, Marluxia and Larxene eyeing each other warily, Demyx smiling at Zexion.

They turned and strode away to their opposing sides of the room as a row of Nobodies filed in to the center seating section and the jury took their seats.

The jury was now mostly pizza girls, with only Xemnas, Lexaeus, and Saїx as Organization members. Xemnas and Xiana appeared to be competing for the position of jury foreman, yelling at each other that they were the true leaders around here! They continued bickering, but stopped abruptly when Xaldin came into the courtroom.

His hair had been somehow curled into the form of an old wig, and he was wearing official judicial robes, creating an imposing appearance. He was followed in by a swaggering Xigbar, apparently trying to emulate the bailiffs he had seen in some old courtroom dramas Demyx had shown him in preparation for today.

The jury and audience sat down again as Xaldin took his place at the top of the room. The chandelier creaked slightly as a cool breeze swept through the room.

"Order in the court!" Xigbar yelled dramatically. "Court is now in session, the Honorable Judge Xaldin presiding." He gestured towards the opposing sides.

"The case today is a tragic one, of simple romance gone wrong. Longtime lovers Zexion and Demyx split yesterday after Demyx reportedly forced himself on Zexion. The prosecution claims Zexion was forced into terrible deeds, while the defense maintains that it was completely consensual, and that Zexion is just overreacting."

The jury murmured quietly, discussing the case. "The prosecution calls on you to convict this malevolent brute, while the defense charges you to acquit this passionate young innocent. Further…" Xigbar paused to read from a card Xaldin had given him, "… the side which comes out as victorious shall then choose the punishment appropriate for the other. This…" He looked at another note, this one from Marluxia and Larxene, "This penalty shall also be served by the legal team, and shall be determined separately from the culprit's sentence. Any questions?" Seeing that there were none, he continued, showing the court a diagram of how the trial would be run.

Zexion stopped paying attention to admire how well Demyx had planned this, though he fought hard to keep it grudging. It really must have been a lot of work to get Xigbar to drop the cheesy surfer accent in favor of a more refined, British-sounding voice. He also admired how well dressed everyone else looked. The Nobodies in the audience looked clean and bright white, the jury was dressed in their best clothes, and even the pizza girls had made an effort.

Larxene's outfit was beautiful, and Zexion wondered if she had gotten it at the same store he and Marly had rented their tuxes from. And Demyx? His white shirt was plain, but simply stunning to look at. Already his hair was starting to defy the layer of gel he had tried to tame it with, and was retaking its original shape. Zexion caught himself staring somewhat… longingly at Demyx when Demyx met his gaze and, interpreting it (correctly?) as a wistful glance, blew a kiss in Zexion's direction. Zexion looked away, reminding himself that it was all Demyx's fault he was in this mess. And when, no, if Demyx and Larxene won the case, Zexion didn't want to think about what he'd have to do.

Hm… Larxene. He wondered what she and Marluxia were planning for each other. The two had been rivals for some time, and they were probably plotting something like making the other be their slave for a year or something. He… didn't want to think about that, so he tried to decide what punishment he would choose for Demyx if-no, when, he won the case.

He vaguely noticed that Marluxia had stood and was speaking, presumably presenting their opening statement. He forced himself to sit up and focus his eyes on Marluxia, but he continued thinking. He could try to place a restraining order-type thing on Demyx, but there were missions and such that could force them into close contact, making it impossible.

He could just ask Demyx to leave him alone… but that wouldn't work. Demyx was too persistent.

He could try to have Demyx sent on many missions… but that wouldn't work. Xemnas hadn't allowed Demyx to go on any mission alone since the incident except going to the store 2 blocks away for emergency groceries (i.e. when Axel burnt dinner, as he did every other Wednesday he had to cook. It wasn't that he was a bad cook, he just didn't care enough.). Zexion, slightly off-topic, suspected that Axel was slightly ADD, because he would always put a lovely lasagna or some such thing in the oven, get distracted, forget all about it, and not remember until it had towered into a raging inferno. Roxas was mostly to blame for this, but he could sometimes salvage things so they were still edible. This distracted Zexion further.

Roxas and Axel… they were a strange pair. At times, they were polar opposites, when Axel was on a sugar high and Roxas was being angsty and emo. Other times, they were the same, mischievous and playful. Zexion, recently, had suspected that something was happening between the two. He decided that, out of everyone in the Organization, they were the two best suited for each other. They complimented each other well, playing on each other's strengths and weaknesses. It was almost to the point where Xemnas wouldn't send one without the other. Actually, Zexion couldn't remember the last mission Roxas had gone on without Axel.

If Zexion hadn't had other ideas, he would have thought that Axel had created the 'emotion lesson' plan in order to get Roxas to fall in love with him, though it appeared to have ended up that way. Zexion was somewhat jealous of how things had worked out so well between the two. He decided he would like to find feelings and fall in love with someone else.

Zexion usually considered himself to be above those petty yearnings of some other (lower) members, but he found himself wondering, what if? What if he could have feelings for someone? It wasn't possible, but he would have liked it to be true.

However, there wasn't anyone in the city that he could even think about ending up with. He certainly wasn't going to go out with one of those pizza girl Somebodies, and he couldn't picture himself with anyone else in the Organization.

Pathetically enough, Demyx was actually the only one he could ever see being romantically involved with for more than, like, a drunken night of partying. Although… Marluxia was looking admittedly quite handsome in that suit.

But he hardly knew anything about the Graceful Assassin. He knew his element was that of nature, which manifested itself in the form of flowers. He knew Marluxia had a huge greenhouse full of plants from many worlds. Whenever he was sent on a mission, he brought back a plant or two to transplant into his growing collection. He knew that Demyx thought was going to try and take over the Organization using those plants… but he wasn't thinking about Demyx, now was he? He knew Marly made the best waffles in the whole world. That was about it.

Marluxia had finished the speech they had prepared earlier that morning. He stepped back to his seat and sat down, patting Zexion on the shoulder reassuringly. Larxene was up next.

She began speaking about how Demyx and Zexion had reportedly confessed their love for each other, but when things had started getting serious, Zexion had been afraid of commitment, and had orchestrated the trial as a way of getting away from all the pressure of the relationship. She implored the jury to take pity on this poor, confused young man, and to free the unjustly accused Demyx from the cruel grasp of the law. She spoke well, and Zexion could find himself, who knew what had really happened, becoming persuaded. This was bad.

"What do we do?" he whispered to Marluxia, who was taking notes and looking quite dignified with a thin pair of reading glasses on.

"Hm? Don't worry, I've got a plan," Marluxia whispered quietly back.

Zexion only hoped it was a good one.

-------

Roxas woke to a pair of viridian green eyes. He blinked sleepily to see Axel looking down at him.

"Good morning, Roxas." Axel spoke in a light, airy tone, as if he had forgotten all about the events of the previous day.

"Guh mony Akshy…" Roxas mumbled, trying to get back to sleep after his long night the previous day. He stretched his arms out, feeling the ache of overexertion. He reached around Axel's waist and pulled the other boy down, so that he was now resting more comfortably on Axel's stomach. He lay half-awake, relaxing comfortably to the gentle inhale and exhale pattern of Axel's breath. He didn't move at all when Axel lazily draped an arm over Roxas' chest, nor when he put his other arm on Roxas' head, stroking his hair gently from time to time.

Axel smiled. He had a Roxas in his arms, and the rest of the day to look forward to with the boy. Everything really did look better in the morning after all.

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Xiana: Chapter 12! Yay! Um… yeah. Oh yeah, "Xalex"-hobo! (You someone person!) I always keep forgetting to tell you happy birthday! Late! So Happy Birthday! Anyway…

Next chapter: We find out what happened to Vexen! And Demyx kisses Zexion again! And there is Coco Puffs and Yogurt! (evil grin) And it's really long! (For me) Stay tuned!


	13. Coco Puffs vs Yogurt!

Xiana: Here again with chapter 13! What an unlucky number! Except… It is Roxas' number, and with that in mind… Hmmm. I made up some stuff about Zexion's past. What do you guys wanna bet that the next game is allllll about Zexion and the rest of the Organization? Yep. At least the first few members and stuff. Cuz I'm pretty sure Nomura said that they had to crush Zexion's gravestone thingy or else it would be a spoiler. Right?

…Anyway, on with the chapter! Yay!

Disclaimer: I dun own teh Coco Puffs………………..

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_Coco Puffs vs. Yogurt!_

Zexion was unsure of what to do. After Larxene had finished speaking, Xaldin had adjourned court for a few minutes. Zexion knew he should go over and help Marluxia with the case, but he didn't really feel like it. He turned down a random corridor to see Demyx.

"Hiya, Zexion." Zexion would normally have walked right on by, but there was something about Demyx's voice that prompted him to investigate further.

"Hey, Demyx," he said cautiously, leaning slightly against the wall. He was tired, after all.

Demyx took a few steps forward, uncertainly. "Um… so… how's it going…?"

"Fine, I guess." Zexion shrugged off his immediate urge to run as Demyx continued to approach slowly.

Demyx waited until he was within arms' length of Zexion's face for several moments before gently stroking the bandage on Zexion's nose. "Because of how that argument you guys used was worded, everyone thinks I did this to you, you know?"

Zexion had flinched back slightly from the contact and was staring at the ground. "I'm sorry Demyx. I know you wouldn't do that to me… Actually, it's a funny story, Marluxia…" He trailed off as he looked up and saw two voluminous tears rolling down Demyx's cheeks, landing with a splash on the floor.

Demyx quickly rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve. Zexion half-expected him to start bawling on top of him, but Demyx, luckily, abstained. He just sort of turned away, though Zexion knew he was still crying from the muffled sobs and the sudden increase of moisture on the ground.

Zexion stood in silence, unsure what to do, until Demyx collapsed suddenly. His body reacted, preventing Demyx from falling to the stone floor. He gently cradled Demyx, rotating him so that the boy could cry into his shirtfront, and wrapped his arms around him comfortingly. He would have attempted to rationalize his behavior, or to stop, but he realized that it didn't matter. It didn't matter. Demyx needed him right then, so he expected he could understand. Never mind if he endeared himself further to Demyx, rationalizing the boy's affection. Demyx was the type of person who could survive alone on sheer enthusiasm and determination, but once he reached his limit, it would take a long time to rebuild his self-confidence.

Zexion might joke with himself about always wanting to or being about to kill himself, but Demyx might actually do it. If he would die, anyway. Although, ever since that …. incident with Xanare, before Roxas had appeared, they had become more cautious, learning about their own mortality.

Anyway, Zexion might not like Demyx, but there was no logic in allowing him to become so depressed that he was forced to resort to suicide. Zexion would feel extremely guilty, again, if Nobodies could feel guilt. Demyx sure had seemed to, after Xanare.

But then, Demyx was special, wasn't he? He always had been, ever since he was the lowest member of the Order of Nine, as it was known in those days. He was different. He was cheerful and exuberant even when others were dark and melancholy. He was the one who had brought out Axel's true personality when the fire-wielder had been about to obtain the stoicism of Saïx, usually the most taciturn of the Organization. The two had caused a merry week or two of havoc before Axel had gotten bored, and Demyx had moved on to focus on new recruit Luxord.

Demyx had worked his way through the end of the Organization, and had started over from where he had left off with Saïx. That had been quite…. interesting. So Zexion expected it was his turn now, followed by Lexaeus and Vexen. Maybe that was all Demyx wanted. That was kinda nice to think about, but he might get lonely without Demyx to torment him constantly… Except Zexion liked being alone, right? And yet, it would appear he missed the company, based on the dream he had had last night.

Although it wasn't exactly a dream he had enjoyed. Because really, it was the exact same as what had happened earlier yesterday. In the closet. Except that he had been wearing a finely woven outfit from the Renaissance era, as Demyx was clothed in a… princess gown, complete with conic hat. It almost reminded him of the situation at hand, with the dainty princess crying into the arms of her prince. Hm. How awkward.

Zexion was finding it hard to continue being cold to Demyx. He had a sudden urge to hold Demyx even tighter. So he did. He held Demyx, imprisoning his with his arms, allowing Demyx to release all his sorrow, soaking Zexion's shirtfront. He rubbed along Demyx's warm back, massaging the tension out. He watched and didn't move as Demyx adhered further to him. He smiled a few minutes later when Demyx crawled off him, eyes red-rimmed with tears, but with a cheerful expression on his face.

"Thanks Zexy, you really know how to make a person feel better." Demyx smiled, then leaned in and kissed him before scampering off down the hallway. Zexion raised a hand to his lips in confusion. He hadn't really done anything that would be worthy of such… praise.

He wondered, was that enough? Was that all it took? Demyx had seemed so helpless, so frail, but he was cheered up so quickly by such a simple action, a gesture of slight warmth. How was it possible that one could bounce back like that with just a gesture or word of affection from someone else?

Zexion had to say, clichéd though it might seem, that it had to be something like love. Zexion still believed that Nobodies lacked emotions, but if one wanted to believe they did, then it would seem to them as if they did. It didn't make much sense as he tried to reason it out, but he had heard something about that theory in psychology. It had something to do with perception. Therefore, if Demyx wanted to feel love, and he believed he could, then he would. Zexion was preeeetty sure that was what was happening.

It was still a nice thought, that Nobodies could love and feel emotions, but it wasn't true. No matter how many times he had tried to feel something, anything at all, he had ended in failure.

Perhaps that was the problem. He was trying too hard. Maybe to Demyx, it was as easy as breathing, as natural as living. Living and loving, what a great philosophy. Zexion still wished he could obtain emotions, but he had left all that behind when he had forsaken Ienzo. He felt that this personality, this 'Zexion,' was more true to himself than that boy, that child he once was, had ever been.

And that child he had been reminded him of Demyx. That innocence he consistently displayed was reminiscent of how Zexion, no, Ienzo, had felt, living in Radiant Garden with his friends. Of course, he had lost that innocence, but it still radiated from every fiber of Demyx's… non-being. The enthusiasm he had had when asked to work on the experiments that the others had created was sincere, and his excitement when he was assigned his first area of study had been unmatched.

At that point, his entire life had featured him as the youngest, the child, the follower. He was the youngest of all his friends in Radiant Garden, the little tag-along that always seemed dangerously close to being left behind. Not that he had minded. He had always seemed to catch up, and was always patted kindly on the head by that girl, the mothering figure of the group.

There had been five of them, all orphans. Something had happened, though. He had been taken to the house of the king, Ansem, though for what reason, he couldn't fathom. He had been taught the processes and methods used in the study of the heart by Vexen, or as he was known at the time, Even. Even had been short-tempered and gruff, but Ze… Ienzo had always just smiled when Even was in a bad mood, and slowly, Even would smile as well. When he had finally been able to work with the others, that smile was on his face every day without fail, no matter how banal the task.

Zexion found himself wondering again what had happened. How had he become _this_ from what he had been? He thought it might have something to do with suddenly not being the most junior member after the appearance of Saïx. In that moment, seeing the other weak and powerless in front of him, completely unaware of what had happened, something had changed. With the addition of power, Zexion lost all traces of the youth he had been that had remained after his transformation into a Nobody.

He wondered if the process of… Nobodification had completely reversed his personality. Xigbar and Vexen seemed completely unchanged, while he had seen only minimal changes in Xaldin and Lexaeus. Xemnas was an anomaly, for while his personality had changed dramatically, it was to what Zexion assumed had been lurking under Xehanort's calm, peaceful exterior all along during their careers as scientists.

Yet he was different. He had transformed from a sweet child to one that had cared about nothing and no one except himself. When he was worried about Vexen, it was because he didn't want to lose to Demyx. When he had kissed Demyx in the closet, it was because he had wanted to get out. And not five minutes ago, when he had caught Demyx from falling to the floor… Ah. No explanation for that, no self-centered reasoning behind that event. He had simply done it.

But maybe, in a way, he was simply protecting himself. He realized that he considered Demyx as a younger version of him, in a way. He was one who could be annoying at times, yet was always working his hardest and trying his best, continually hoping for the kindness of others in return. Zexion laughed ruefully. This life surrounded by those without hearts was no place for someone like Demyx. Demyx seemed to look up to him, but Zexion couldn't fathom why. He was certainly no role model. Maybe he had become the type of person that he had always wanted to be. Yet now, he just wished he could go back right now, to the way things had been.

Demyx truly was someone who had been created to make others realize what they lacked. He was someone who needed to be protected at any cost, and Zexion resolved to be the one who would protect him from the others. Even if it meant… allowing Demyx to love him, and possibly, to allow himself to reciprocate Demyx's feelings. Zexion stood up, permitting a brief grin to steal lightly over his features before turning to return to the courtroom.

The courtroom. He had to do something about the trial. It was… Actually, it didn't really matter, did it? If Demyx won, he'd be happy to accept the consequences, and if he won, he could always pretend to punish Demyx while really keeping him safe from the rest of the world.

Zexion stepped back into the courtroom, confident in his plan. Now it was time to put it into action.

--------------

Luxord frowned. He had managed to stop Vexen's bleeding, but the older man had not awakened from his coma, and still appeared to be having trouble breathing.

Luxord decided Vexen would be okay for a few minutes, so he went over to the lab to see if he could find any traces of what had caused such severe damage.

As he clattered down the old wooden stairs to the laboratory area of Vexen's room, he pulled out his cards, prepared to defend himself. He gulped nervously, then jumped down the last two stairs, switching the light on rapidly, turning to face what he saw there.

And what he saw there was what appeared to be the body of a young girl laying on the slick, icy floor. He knelt down beside her body and gently laid a hand on her arm, jerking back in revulsion a second later as the area he had made contact with dissolved into a noxious, sludgy-green substance, revealing the whiteness of bone below. He scrambled backward urgently as the corpse continued to decay, eventually resulting in a puddle of green fluid surrounding a complete skeleton.

Luxord sniffed experimentally at the toxic ooze and recoiled from the foul stench. He backed away slowly form the gruesome scene and decided to return to Vexen's bedside. He sure would have a lot of explaining to do when he got up.

---

As it happened, Vexen had just woken up. He was attempting to move his limbs and get up from the bed when Luxord returned.

He pressed a button so that the hospital bed folded up, supporting Vexen's upper body so he could speak better.

Vexen eagerly started to ask questions. "What happened to the experiment? The last thing I remember is a blinding flash of light and the sound of bone crunching! I assume that my leg is now broken, because it is in considerable pain! Can you tell me what you observed in the labs and the effects on me-"

Luxord cut him off by applying harsh pressure to his shoulders. "What the hell were you doing down there?" he demanded angrily. Not waiting for an answer, he continued, " You could have been killed! And just where did you get that skeleton from? Did you kill a child for that? And… and…" Luxord trailed off, not sure what to say next.

Vexen smiled. "Simple. I was trying to create an experimental clone. It was not entirely successful though, as I'm sure you discovered. I must have forgotten to program the brain correctly. As for the skeleton, I've had that for quite a while. I'm not even quite sure where it came from in the first place."

"Well… well you still need to be more careful! You could have died!" Luxord argued.

Vexen quirked an eyebrow. "Are you saying you were worried about me?" he asked curiously, looking ready to take notes on Luxord's response.

"Of course I was worried, you idiot!" Luxord yelled. "I don't have enough experience to be a medic for the other 11!"

"Hm… is that all…" Vexen trailed off as he dropped into unconsciousness once more.

Luxord sighed, sitting down once again at Vexen's side, resting his head in his hands. What was he going to do?

---------------

Roxas finally decided to get up for real, though he was quite enjoying the warmth of Axel and the rhythmic caress of his hands through his hair.

He gently removed Axel's arms and sat up slowly, muscles groaning in protest. Axel sat up as well.

They got out of bed silently, neither daring to break the sweet silence. They worked together to make the bed and sat on it again once they were finished.

Eventually, Axel just had to say something. "So… you wanna get breakfast or something?"

"Sure." They migrated slowly downstairs to the kitchen, where they set about looking through the cabinets in search of food.

"Hey, Axel, want Coco Puffs?" Roxas asked, holding up the brown cereal box.

Axel shuddered, looking in the refrigerator. "No way! That stuff's too sweet for me!"

"Suit yourself," Roxas shrugged, eating random handfuls right from the box.

Axel pulled some yogurt out of the fridge. Mmm. Blueberry. He decided it was too much effort to walk around the marble counter to get a spoon. He pulled the lid off and began drinking the yogurt as he would water, sitting down on one of the tall stools.

Roxas sat next to him, continuing to eat Coco Puffs. They ate for a while, glancing at the other from time to time.

After a time, Axel finished his yogurt and leaned back happily. "That was some good yogurt!" he commented contentedly.

Roxas looked up from his Coco Puffs. "I still can't understand why you don't like these," he said, holding the box up again.

"I guess I'm just more of a yogurt kind of guy," Axel drawled, throwing the empty cup into the trash can.

Roxas applauded politely before turning back to the conversation. "But, yogurt is so boring, and Coco Puffs are so delicious!" he exclaimed.

"Well, at least I'm healthy! You, on the other hand, are going to die when you're thirty, if you keep eating like that," Axel countered.

"Hey, I'm a kid! I can eat this kind of stuff and not get fat at all. Unlike you, Mr. Old Man, who has to eat nasty old yogurt because he doesn't have any teeth left!" Roxas shot back, grinning at the thought of Axel as an old man.

They bickered cheerfully for a time. Somewhere along the line, Roxas got the idea of trying to force Axel to eat the Coco Puffs. He chased him around the room, pelting him with the chocolate cereal. Eventually, Axel tripped while turning round the counter and fell to the floor. He crawled backwards slowly into the corner until he could go no further as Roxas advanced slowly, Coco Puffs in hand. He bent down, ready to force Axel to see the true tastiness of the chocolate chunks.

And then suddenly, they were kissing wildly, passionately. The box fell out of Roxas' grasp as he reached towards Axel, pulling them as close as they could be. The pieces scattered across the floor as their tongues began fighting for dominance, as they traded tastes, sour yogurt with sweet chocolate. Axel moaned softly as he fell on top of Roxas on the cereal-covered floor. With no one to stop them or interrupt, they continued on in this manner until Axel pulled himself off for a moment.

"I guess you were right, Roxas. Coco Puffs aren't so bad after all," he whispered in a husky voice, causing shivers of excitement to run down Roxas' spine.

Roxas licked his lips teasingly. "Mmm, blueberry…"

They stared at each other for a few moments before returning to their passionate game. They rolled over and over on the floor, finally coming to rest with Axel again on top. Their kisses and loving caresses became more erratic, and they began moving about, Roxas gently nibbling Axel's neck as Axel playfully licked Roxas' ear. It was only when Roxas' shirt began to come off that they retreated, each backing away slightly from the other. There was an awkward silence again.

Roxas finally mumbled, "Things aren't going to be the same between us again, are they?"

"Of course not," Axel replied seriously before grinning widely. "But come on no, would you want them to be?"

"Hell no!" Roxas exclaimed in a tone so fierce that Axel just had to reach over and embrace him.

"Thank you, Roxas," Axel murmured carefully into Roxas' ear.

"No, thank you, Axel," Roxas replied.

Once again, the kitchen had played a role in the relationship's depth, ending the era of friendship and replacing it with a deeper bond. And still, neither had told the other his true feelings. But that could always wait until tomorrow, each decided as they both leaned in for one final kiss.

----------------------------------

Xiana: Wow, long chapter! Yeah, I hope you guys liked it!

Next chapter: Random crack stuff again! Yay!


	14. Death of a Weatherman

Xiana: (waves to everyone) Hiiiiii! … yay, I like this chapter. Sorry.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! But I do own myself actually. So I guess I do own something then. Never mind. And yeah, there's an Ouran High School Host Club reference in there. So you guys should totally watch that show and read the manga, if you haven't already. And I quoted **Incognito Indigo**'s story part of the way through. Please don't be offended! (bows head in shame) That was a long disclaimer…..

------------------

_Death of a Weatherman_

Demyx rubbed the last of his tears from his eyes as he skipped merrily down the hallway. He decided he wanted a snack, so at the next blank intersection he turned and headed for the kitchen. He was just about to burst through the double doors when he paused to look through the window. Axel and Roxas were inside, holding hands, gazing deeply into each other's eyes, and occasionally kissing from time to time.

Demyx didn't feel like interrupting this cozy domestic scene, especially since he knew from an informative MySpace bulletin Lexaeus had sent him that it was 24 years bad luck to interrupt a first date. And though the castle kitchen wasn't exactly the most romantic location for a relationship to blossom into a bright flower of love, bloom it had, into the red rose of deepest romance. Demyx frowned. What was with all the flower references? He wasn't _Marluxia_ after all. But really, Demyx couldn't criticize. He had made the first move in a _closet_.

Demyx shrugged and skipped back down the hallway, turning towards his own room. He headed for the mini-fridge in the corner, but was disappointed to find that there were only a few boxes of Pocky left. He grabbed a box of boring chocolate flavor and sat down on his comfortable water bed. The bed sloshed and gurgled beneath his weight. Demyx stuck a stick in his mouth and chewed on it thoughtfully as he began thinking over what had just occurred.

Zexion… was a good guy after all! He had caught him when he fell and had held him tight after his breakdown. Demyx decided that Zexion had to like him at least a little bit, or else there would be no rationality whatsoever when it came to Zexion's actions.

Demyx smiled. That was good news for him! He had secretly been rather worried when he was listening to Marluxia make the opening statement. It sounded pretty good to him, and he was wondering what would happen if he lost.

Maybe Zexion would have him thrown, into a wormhole, to a parallel dimension, where he would find another Zexion, who would love him back! But then there might be another Demyx there who he'd have to compete with! Or maybe he would get thrown into Planet of the Demyx's! And they could all have fun playing music together! But maybe he would land in Planet of the…Xemnas's. Now that would be scary!

Demyx's eyes swirled from the possibilities, and he swallowed the Pocky awkwardly, choking slightly as Larxene barged into the room.

She slapped him on the back impatiently, and he was able to breathe again. "Come on, you bum. Let's get going so we can win this trial," she said irritably, dragging an acquiescent Demyx down the hallway.

Demyx wondered if Zexion liked him. Like, liked-him liked him. He decided to ask Larxene for her opinion.

"Larxene, does Zexion, like, like-me like me?"

Larxene asked cruelly, "What makes you think he does?'

"Well, we were kissing in the closet, and if he had really wanted to get out, he could have easily overpowered me using his" ---BEEP---

"His… what? That sounded really wrong you know!" Larxene laughed at Demyx's mistake.

"No, not like that!" Demyx cried, blood rushing to his cheeks adorably as he banished the thought that Larxene had created for him. "I… I only meant his super duper secret weapon that no one knows what it is!"

"Yeah sure. You just don't want me to know the truth!" Larxene teased, causing Demyx to hit her arm playfully.

"All right, I give up, yes, it really was that way," he joked, secretly wishing that it was true. "Also, I was just in a hallway back there talking to him, and I … uh… I tripped and fell, but then he caught me and held me tight!" Demyx claimed, not wanting Larxene to know everything that had happened. He didn't think she'd understand if he told her what the whole thing had been about.

"Well, that is a good point. There's really no reason for him to do that unless he does like you, so maybe you're right for once." Larxene only ever seemed to let down her shields around Demyx, the only person she felt would understand her. They had both lost Xanare, after all, and while she had initially blamed Demyx, she had quickly come to realize that he blamed himself far more than was healthy. They had clung together through that period of time, and Larxene had come out of it a different person. Demyx, though, hadn't changed a bit. He was still as hyperactive and sweet as ever on the outside, with a fragile, self-deprecating interior that seldom revealed itself.

Demyx truly was a mystery. She wondered why it was that she was so open around him, yet could never seem to come out of her hard, emotionless shell around the others. Especially around him…

Demyx's loud voice intruded into her thoughts. "So…. So so so what are you gonna do with Marly when we win huh huh huh?"

She quickly flushed and turned on Demyx angrily. "How come everything that comes out of your mouth sounds completely wrong?" she asked, eyes blazing.

Demyx just shrugged sweetly, holding his arms up behind his head in a relaxed manner. "Just another one of my many talents!"

Larxene sniffed haughtily. "Well, for your information, I intend on making him apologize for all those times he's insulted me!"

"Right, I see! But of course this had absolutely nothing to do with… How you've had a huge crush on him ever since you joined the Organization, right?" He smirked, pulling out a picture he had taken of Marluxia which just happened to feature Larxene staring longingly at the Assassin in the background.

"What the… where'd you get that? And… uh… how did you edit the film to get me to look like that?" Larxene temporized, trying to stall.

"You're not the only one with a blackmail drawer, Larxy," Demyx taunted, waving the photo back and forth. He handed it to her. "Here, a souvenir for you." Noticing she was about to tear it up, he wagged his finger reproachfully. "Now, don't waste your time and mine when we both know I can just print out more any time I want."

Larxene stopped and shoved it in her pocket resignedly.

"Now then, shall we continue on to the courtroom?" Demyx asked, holding his arm out. Larxene took it, and they skipped merrily back to the trial together.

---------------

Xemnas was angry. Wasn't he the leader around here? And yet here he was, sitting in the jury instead of that nice, tall seat that Xaldin currently occupied.

Xemnas wanted that seat. He wanted it bad. For the leader of the most feared criminal syndicate in the world, he was pretty pathetic, wasn't he? Although, after the formation of the Creeper Mafia, the Organization had dropped down to the number of second, only slightly ahead of the Fangirl Contingent. And with just one glance at Xiana and her group of wacko friends, he rather thought it wouldn't be long until they fell back to third place again.

It wasn't fair. Xaldin wasn't the leader! Why did he get to be judge? Besides, Xemnas' hair would look so much more natural and beautiful in a judge's curls, silver instead of that horrid black that clashed so horribly with the long, flowing robes that were just a mite too short on Xaldin, but would look perfect on Xemnas. He could picture himself now, standing up on that platform, defending justice for all.

Or at least, he could have been a lawyer, defending his client and winning the courtroom over to his much-despised side with eloquent logic and a grand speaking voice, elegantly calling out "Objection!" Being a judge was prestigious, true, but being a lawyer was where the true power lay. And Xemnas liked power.

Still, it was quite sad that Zexion hadn't even considered him for the position. Truly, as the founding member of what was once the Sixth Order, it could be assumed that he did indeed have some brain power.

Perhaps it was that Zexion feared Xemnas would frown on their relationship. Which was true. Xemnas was not a fan of the Zexion/Demyx pairing. He much preferred Zexion/Larxene and Demyx/Axel, or at the very least Zexion/Marluxia and Demyx/Xigbar. Xemnas was a strange person, but he definitely though those two were all wrong for each other. Yes, that was it. Zexion had wanted Xemnas to be his lawyer, but that tricky Marluxia had been awful and convinced Zexion with his sinister tactics that Xemnas would never support him.

Damn Marluxia. Xemnas expected he should eventually just exile him away to some castle in the middle of nowhere someday, just to get rid of him. Within the context of some mission, of course.

No matter what the situation, he was not going to lose! Besides, everyone knows that the jury are the ones truly in command! That power of life and death over others! The dramatic pauses right before the foreman read the verdict! The melodrama after the guilty was led away in chains, calling dramatically for forgiveness from the victims! Yes, as jury foreman, he would once again command attention from all sources! He laughed triumphantly only to find Xiana watching him curiously.

"Aaaaah, what are you doing, sempai?" that girl with unnaturally colored hair asked, blinking at him with wide green eyes.

"I was thinking about how well suited I'd be as jury foreman!" Xemnas claimed, attempting to look dignified.

"But! I'm going to be the jury fore-girl, sempai!" she claimed, gazing deeply into Xemnas' golden eyes.

"No, you can't be! I am!"

"But, sempai, you don't look like a fore-girl."

"Er… Dammit, that's not what I meant!"

"Well then, what do you mean, sempai?"

"I meant that I was the jury foreman, and not you!"

"Well, of course, I'm a girl, sempai. Of course I can't be a foreman, that's why I'm the fore-girl!"

"But… but… I give up!" Xemnas yelled, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation.

"Sempai!"

"I'm not talking to you."

"Sempai…"

"…'

"Sempai?"

"…"

"SEMPAI!"

"WHAT?" Xemnas yelled, losing control.

"… sempai, your hair's on fire." Xiana looked away.

"AGH! How'd this happen?" Xemnas cried, panicking and running around.

"I think that Breeze lit your hair on fire because she didn't approve of your stance on Demyx and Zexion's happy relationship of LOVE!" she told him innocently as Breeze took aim at a Dusk in the third row who was sniggering with his little buddies about the trial. The other girls were chanting, "STOP DROP AND ROLL! STOP DROP AND ROLL!"

After a bucket of water was dumped on his head by Keselyx, the only sane one in the group (apparently), he patted his singed hair mournfully.

"Don't worry, sempai, Shiggy here will fix your hair up real good," Xiana said, gesturing towards Shiguna who was smiling wickedly, scissors in hand.

"Don't… hurt me…" Xemnas protested in vain, as he was led to another room by Shiguna.

"He-heh-heh…" she grinned evilly. "Now what style suits your fancy?"

"Actually-" Xemnas was cut off by the screaming of the others.

"Mohawk!"

"Faux-hawk!"

"Shave it all off!"

"Dye it pink!"

"Emo hair!"

The girls continued squabbling, and eventually divided into two groups, the 'Emo for Everyone' group and the 'Pink is Pretty' group.

"Emo hair would be better! It would look nicer!"

"Yeah, everyone loves emo kids!"

"Wrong! Xemnas isn't emo, he's a girl!"

"We've been over this, I'm the fore-girl, remember, not him."

"Still…he looks like a girl, and that would take all the singe marks out!"

"But pink would totally clash, and then I'd have to be Kaoru and he'd be Hikaru and we'd have to start fighting and throwing random pieces of furniture and Honey-chan at each other and I wanna be Honey-chan with the cute 'Haru-chan!' line and the cake, and not to mention at the end, we'd have to make up and get all mushy and stuff with each other, and you don't want to see that, do you?" Xiana argued.

"No way!" everyone else agreed, and it soon became apparent that Xemnas would soon become an emo kid with Zexion.

"Nooooooooo!" Xemnas yelled, nails scraping futilely against the ground as Shiguna dragged him off into the salon room conveniently located right next door.

Fortunately, Xiana was there with one last piece of advice before Xemnas was dragged away to his doom. "Just remember, sempai, girls love emo boys!" She smiled before bashing him over the head with a hammer, rendering him (mercifully?) unconscious.

-----------

Zexion was happy. Well, not really, because that wouldn't be in character, but he was definitely glad that he didn't have to worry about the trial anymore. The stress had been giving him prematurely _light blue/ grey at the top/ lilac/ white-ish/ maybe silver because it looks shiny_ hair. . . awww, who was he kidding? It was part of his fate to be cursed with the best hair out of the whole Organization, and possibly the world! He looked enviously at one of the girls on the jury who was dumping a bucket of water on Xemnas' head for some reason. If only he had highlights of that beautiful color of purple when the sun hit it just right, he would be perfect! And then people from all over the world would have to bow down to his beautiful mastery of hair and his ---BEEP---!

'_Wow, that sounded really wrong,'_ his inner weatherman commented.

'_Hey, it's not my fault that I have a super duper secret weapon that no one knows what it is! Even I don't know…'_

'_You don't even know what your own weapon is?'_ the weatherman scoffed. _'How can you call yourself a master, then?'_

'_Awww, shut up! I practice with it every day down in the gym! I just… get amnesia after I practice for some reason! And shouldn't you be reporting the weather?'_

'_Ah, yes. You'll be happy to know that it's still hot in Topeka.'_

'_What is a "Topeka" anyway?' _Zexion questioned.

'_It's like, some place in Kansas.'_ With just the mention of Kansas, Zexion was asleep and snoring. This didn't bother the weatherman too much, as he was quite used to this sort of thing occurring. Actually, it was because he was so boring in real life that he had chosen a boring profession. Unfortunately, he was no good at money, so he couldn't have been an accountant. But then, he wasn't real, was he? He was just a voice in some emo kid's head.

Confronted by unanswerable questions about his origins and his place in the world, the poor weatherman finally went insane in an emo sort of way and threw himself out the window of the news station. Right in the middle of the 8:35 forecast, too. How awkward. The inconvenienced weather channel immediately set to work finding a replacement.

Eventually, Zexion woke up. He blinked sleepily and looked into the eyes of Demyx, who was right in front of him. "Hey, Dem, I just had the weirdest dream. I dreamed that this weatherman guy, who's really a voice in my head, committed suicide by jumping from a building, right in the middle of the 8:35 forecast, all because he was plagued by questions about his existence. Weird, huh?"

"Yeah, that is kind of strange. But why were you sleeping, anyway?"

"Because the late-and-great weatherperson told me about Topeka."

"The clam-and-artichoke appetizer?'

"No, it was a city, in a place called…"

"Called what?"

"If I tell you, you'll fall asleep." Zexion warned Demyx.

"That's okay, tell me anyway."

"Okay. Topeka is in a place called…" Zexion forced back a huge yawn before finally saying, "Kansas."

The effect the word had on Demyx was remarkable. He teetered, fighting and eventually failing to regain his balance. He toppled into Zexion's waiting arms, finally muttering, "So…bored… must … sleep to regain… energy….."

Zexion smiled down at the soundly sleeping Demyx. "You idiot, I warned you," he reproached the snoozing boy affectionately. "Ah well, sweet dreams Demyx." Now then, what was he to do now? He couldn't move from under the weight of Demyx, nor did he want to. Somewhere in his mind, a subconscious voice (likely the new replacement for the weather dude) told him to kiss Demyx lightly on the forehead. He did, not caring if anyone noticed, which they did not.

He laughed at himself lightly. He was just as bad as Demyx, now wasn't he? Taking instructions from random voices in his head? He yawned, feeling the delayed reaction from the word "Kansas." His head and shoulders slumped forward, and his body slid down the wall he had been leaning against with Demyx. The two sleepers finally came to rest on the ground, Demyx still held securely within Zexion's arms, Zexion's head drooping forward to rest slightly within the curve of Demyx's neck. The two dreamers slept on for a time, oblivious to the curious stares of others and a few flashes of Larxene's camera.

--------------

Axel and Roxas had moved on from random kissing to something with a bit more of a point. Axel was now trying to convince Roxas of the healthy values and tastiness of yogurt, and so the two were taking it in turns to feed each other a bite at a time – without a spoon, of course.

It was after a particularly large mouthful that left Roxas choking that Axel asked, "Well, Rox, what are we going to do now?"

"Eat some more?" Roxas offered hopefully, licking a few excess drops of yogurt from the corners of Axel's mouth.

"N-no, not that," Axel said, distracted by the rough feel of Roxas' tongue along his cheek. "I mean like, what do we tell the others? Do we just walk up to everyone and say something like, 'Oh, remember us? Axel and Roxas? We have decided that we are passionately and madly in love with each other, so don't mind us if we start making out during a staff meeting,' or what?"

Roxas laughed. "Yeah, that'll go over well. Maybe we can just go with it, you know? Like, pretend nothing's changed, and that we don't care what they think? Cuz I really don't, as long as we can be together."

Axel nodded, agreeing. "I feel the exact same way, Roxas. And if they do happen to catch us smooching during a staff meeting, well then it's just too bad for them if they don't like it!"

"I can just see it now. I can hear Xemnas: 'Axel, Roxas! Kindly stop sucking each other's faces off and start paying attention to my blah blah blah darkness blabbity Kingdom Hearts blah blah bluh bleh lecture.'" They both laughed at Roxas' imitation of Xemnas' voice.

"So we should just play it cool?' Axel asked for re-confirmation.

"I… guess. I'm new to this whole relationship thing too, you know?"

"Hey, we're already beating Zexion and Demyx."

"Yeah… Oh! We completely forgot about the trial!"

"You're right!" They attempted to clean up the kitchen, soon gave up, and finished the rest of the yogurt between the two of them as they set off for the Chamber of Non-Existant Souls!

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Xiana: Yay! I hope none of you fell asleep from Kansas… (yawns) I mean no offense to any Kans…ians… my dad and grandma are from Kansas so yeah.

Next chapter: Hm… I don't know… Ah yes, the tragic tale of romance! With me and… the very creatively named…. Xian…. I feel as if I should change my name now…


	15. My Life is a Black Abyss

Xiana: Chapter 15! Wow, that's a lot…

Keselyx and Xalex, you'll find this chapter funny I think, although Keselyx already read it. Right? I'm so emo…

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_My Life is a Black Abyss_

Marluxia paused, returning from his stroll around the castle. He saw Zexion and Demyx sleeping together against the wall and sighed. Was Zexion trying to hook him up with Larxene? Because it sure didn't look like he was having a tragic fight with Demyx any longer.

Marluxia was well aware that Larxene had had a crush on him for a while, at least since Xanare's death. She had been devastated and had lacked herself in the Grand Ballroom, weeping piteously over her loss.

After a day, though, she had come out changed, now a cruel, sadistic person. She became a brutal combatant and practiced her aim for many hours of the day. When they had first begun trading insults, Marluxia had reveled in having a worthy opponent. They thought of each other as good friends, and were at their friendliest when screaming insults at each other. Since the day they had met, they had been arguing constantly, and it was just taken as one of the facts of their relationship.

It wasn't exactly a good way to form a friendship, though, constantly fighting over trivial points. Marluxia had to admit, Larxene was quite beautiful, but a relationship would never work out between them. The constant bickering was fine in small amounts, but if they were forced to spend time with each other constantly, their nerves would wear thin and they would drive each other completely insane.

Well, they would have chosen to spend that time together, but it would still have disastrous effects. This had been doomed from the start, preordained never to succeed.

Marluxia couldn't explain how he knew how Larxene felt about him. It was something about her presence, about the way she acted around him and others, about how she acted towards anyone else. She treated only Marluxia, and possibly Demyx, with any manner other than that of cool disdain.

There was no love here, no long-dreamt-of emotions waiting to surge over the top with a sudden flow of passion. It was simply a mutual attraction between two people, one that could never be described as love. If they ever became involved, it would be a carnal affair, each seeking pleasure for themselves only.

It was true, Marluxia knew. And Larxene knew it too. They held no illusions about what was the truth. Others might accuse them of being pessimistic, but they knew it to be real. Maybe, in some alternative universe, it would be a very real dream that could come true, but here, it was just not possible.

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Demyx woke up suddenly, jerking off the floor and slightly disturbing Zexion, who mumbled something intelligible. Demyx laughed. "I guess you were right after all, Zexy! It must be a very boring word indeed if you put yourself to sleep!"

He wriggled out of Zexion's hold and pulled Zexion into his lap, grimacing slightly at the weight. Zexion was heavier than his sitar, that was for sure. That was only to be expected though, for his sitar was surprisingly light. Demyx never had been much for strength, but that was okay. He didn't need to be.

Zexion was sliding up on Demyx, rubbing his head on Demyx's shoulder like a cat would, apparently trying to get comfortable. Demyx shifted over a bit so that Zexion rested his head within the crook of Demyx's elbow and seemed much more cozy.

Zexion was like a little lost kitty curled up in the shelter of Demyx's arms, as was evidenced from the way he had tucked his legs in so that his entire body was within the space created by Demyx. People sure were different when they were asleep, Demyx decided. He wondered if Zexion was always so clingy, and thought he wanted to find out. Now what was the plan to get either into Zexy's bed or Zexy into his bed? He could always try to pretend to fall unconscious in Zexy's room, or secretly put a sleeping pill or two in Zexion's morning cocoa. Or night cocoa, rather.

Meheheh. Hm, wait. Zexion appeared to be waking up. "Zexy, you sleepy sheepy! You fell asleep on me!" Demyx told the awakening boy, patting his hair cheerfully.

Zexion opened his mouth to retort, but evidently thought better of it, because he simply crawled off of Demyx and hoisted them both off the floor.

"Come on, we've held up the trial for long enough, don't you thing?" Zexion grabbed on to Demyx's arm gently and pulled him on into the courtroom.

Demyx was (for lack of a better word) flabbergasted. Zexion was acting so kind, almost sweetly. And was that an attempt at a smile he saw on his face? It was strange, to say the least, but if it meant Zexion had forgiven him and loved him again, Demyx was completely fine with it.

They sat down on opposing sides of the courtroom, and waited for the trial to continue.

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Luxord was not in the best mood. Vexen had woken up thrice more, but was unable to shed any light on to what caused his ailments. The cuts had been done by that girl, and she had probably broken his leg, too, but neither had any ideas about the sickness.

Luxord suspected it had something to do with the toxic sludge that replica secreted. When he raised the suggestion, Vexen had just laughed. "A toxic substance? Surely you jest. Such a thing would never happen in one of my experiments."

Luxord had gotten quite angry then, because of Vexen's inability to see mistakes in his own work, and it was for that reason that Vexen was currently unconscious. He took the opportunity to collect some of the glop in glass beakers, placing them beside the hospital bed to show to Vexen as soon as he woke up again.

Unfortunately, he must have hit Vexen a bit… too… hard, because he didn't seem to show any signs of life. Luxord decided to walk over to the kitchen to get a snack. Taking care of (and beating up) an old scientist guy was hard work after all! However, he was dismayed to find crushed chunks of chocolate cereal all over the floor, and his favorite blueberry yogurt splattered across the walls. "What the hell happened here?" he asked, unsure who had done this, blissfully unaware of the true reason the room was in this state. He eventually shrugged and helped himself to some waffles (the Eggo™ kind, not Marly's yummy kind) and some coffee.

He carried his breakfast over back to the hospital wing, where Vexen was examining the vials of murky liquid carefully.

He placed the glass bottle back on the table as Luxord came back in. "Hello there Luxord, it would appear I owe you an apology…"

Luxord was not paying attention, becoming suddenly sleepy from the aroma of the warm coffee. He took a sip, but woke up immediately after he tasted it. He spit it across the room in disgust.

"Decaf!'

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Axel and Roxas raced down the hallways together towards the official courtroom. The grand chandelier clinked once more as they entered the courtroom with everyone else. Shiguna was just returning with Xemnas's still-unconscious body, now… transformed.

Everyone watched as she pulled him up to his seat before taking her own with the rest of the jury. Dutchess laughed quietly at the scene, and everyone looked over to her in shock. She had never really said anything before, so no one knew she was there. She waved timidly at everyone.

Everyone turned back to Xemnas when Xiana poked his shoulder happily. "Sempai, sempai, wake up!"

"NO, NOT THE FLYING MONKEYS!!!!!!" Xemnas yelled, waking suddenly.

"Sempai, sempai, isn't it great? Shiggy gave you emo-pink hair!"

"WHAT!?" Xemnas screeched.

"Yeah, I thought both ideas were good, and there was some convenient pink dye in there, so I was first just going to give him highlights but then I decided that it wouldn't look good like that, but the color was already in there, so I decided to make it all the same! Everyone's happy!" Shiguna told all the girls and fellow jury members.

"See for yourself, sempai!" Xiana told him, pulling a mirror conveniently out of her pocket.

Xemnas was stunned to realize that he looked like the god-foresaken love child of Zexion and Marluxia.

"See sempai, now you'll be irresistible to the ladies! I can feel myself falling in love already!"

"Really?" Xemnas asked eagerly.

"Yep! With that other kid!" Xiana pulled out a battered photo of an absolutely adorable boy with longish brownish blondish hair and sparkly blue eyes. "Why did you have to cut your hair? And go to the World That Was High School instead of Never High!" she moaned lamentatiously. "Never was closer anyway!" She sighed resignedly. "I'll still love you, even if you don't believe it could work between us!" she cried, striking a dramatic pose as black rose petals fell from the sky. She held the pose for a few seconds more before turning and bowing, as everyone else applauded.

"Wait, you mean none of that is actually real? You were joking all along?" Xemnas asked incredulously.

"Of course, sempai! Only someone completely forsaken by the heavens would have such a terrible fate! If you still don't believe me, I can call him right now!" Xiana pulled an adorable blue phone/ MP3 player that matched her hair and convertible out and pressed the buttons rapidly.

There was a pause. All eyes were on Xiana. She began talking rapidly. "Hey, Xian? It's me-e! Listen, I'm down here with some guy with pink-emo hair who doesn't think you exist, and it's kinda embarrassing… Uh-huh. Yeah. Great! I'll see you soon!" She closed the phone and smiled. "He's coming right over!"

Everyone cheered, they all loved Xian because he was nice and funny and BEAUTIFUL!

And then they started right back up with the trial. Larxene and Demyx kidnapped Axel as their main witness, and Roxas followed him over to the other side like a lost little puppy dog.

Axel gently pointed Roxas in the other direction, towards Marluxia and Zexion. "You're going over there, remember?" He patted Roxas on the head.

Roxas looked up at him with a sad expression. "But I dun wanna…."

"I'll be over here, Roxy. Don't worry."

"Fine…" Roxas walked away slowly, tragically. Axel gave him a quick hug, drawing him closer for a moment.

"It'll be okay, Roxy! And once this is over, we can go back to what we were doing before…"

"Now that's motivation!" Roxas commented.

"Atta boy. Now, the sooner we get back to this trial thingy, the sooner we can get back to doing something a bit more…fun." Axel kissed the top of Roxas' spiky blond head.

He did feel a pang of loss as he watched Roxas wind his way back through the crowd. Taking a seat next to Demyx, he drummed his fingers impatiently against the wood of the table. Already, this was taking too long.

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Xaldin sighed. He had temporarily adjourned court so he could get a cup of coffee, but hadn't been able to enter the kitchen due to its being… erm, occupied by Roxas and Axel. When they had finally left, there hadn't been any regular coffee, only that decaffeinated junk Xigbar liked for some reason. And one hour later, everyone was still milling around aimlessly. And now his hair was coming loose from the rolls Demyx had insisted on. Dammit.

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Xiana: Yay! A pointless chapter! The next one is better, I'm pretty sure. Haha, yes the trial is actually going to start next.


	16. African or European?

Xiana: Chapter 16! Yay! The trial starts… There always has to be at least one Monty Python reference per fanfiction, I'm pretty sure.

Thank you to: **Kitsune Bara, ASKInfinity, lunarxshinobi, Shadow of Darkness 22, EyesWideShut41, AnimeDutchess, artspaz, yamano ringo, Shiguna, Raevyn1313, AeroFlux, AlphaCentauri009, **Xalex, **eureka7gal, Ookami Aya, fire-emblem-girl, TunaxPenguin, Onemoreparadise, bluemoonalchemist, blackkeyblade, darkwolfspiritflame, GothicSuicide, mosesdork7289.  
**

…wow, I really forgot to do that for a while. Thanks everyone! XD

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_African or European?_

The trial got underway. Marluxia called Roxas as a witness to the stand and began questioning him.

"Roxas, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothin' but the truth?" Xigbar asked solemnly.

"I swear," Roxas said with equal solemnity, removing his hand from a battered copy of Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 432nd edition, autographed! After Roxas took a seat in the box, Marluxia started immediately into the questioning.

"Where were you on the night of the 43rd?"

"You can't pin it on me! You've got no evidence! It wasn't me, I swear!" Roxas shrieked, completely losing it.

"Um, the jury should feel free to disregard that last remark," Marluxia commented embarrassedly. "I, um… read the question upside down. The real question is, Roxas, where were you, um, yesterday around noon?"

"I was hanging out with Axel, Demyx, and Zexion in Axel's room," Roxas responded calmly.

"And what were you doing in Axel's room?"

"Oh, you know… just talking about stuff."

"Exactly what kinds of things were you talking about?" Marluxia pressed.

Larxene stood abruptly. "Objection! There's no relevance to the case at hand!"

Xaldin agreed. "Sustained."

Marluxia continued on, not flustered in the least. "Now then, will you please tell us, Roxas, in your own words, what happened?"

"Okay." Roxas took a deep breath and launched into the story. "We were all in Axel's room, and we started getting hungry. Rather than go down to the kitchen, we decided to order pizza instead. Axel called up the pizza place way on the other side of town, because they usually aren't able to make it here in 15 minutes or less." Roxas paused for a second.

"Demyx got tired of waiting, and he was getting kind of annoying, so we decided to send him into the closet to write a song. The pizza arrived, and we sang that 525,600 minutes song from Rent-"

Marluxia cut him off. "Which song?"

Roxas' face heated slightly. "You know… the song 'Seasons of Love'…"

"Can you hum a few notes of it?" Marluxia asked.

"Um, um…. Well it that would be possible I could sing it with Axel and Zexion again…" Roxas was evidently unused to being put on the spot in such a manner.

Xaldin looked at Larxene expectantly, thinking she would object to this interruption on the grounds of pertinence. She didn't though, it would appear she wanted to hear them sing as well.

Zexion got up reluctantly, taking his place next to Axel. Demyx sauntered up as well, sandwiching himself between Roxas and Axel.

"You sing second tenor?" Roxas asked incredulously.

"Yep! Now, can someone play the starting note?"

It was at this moment that Xian finally arrived, a random hobo trailing behind him.

Xiana squeaked atnd ran up to hug him. "Xian, come sit by me!" she pulled him over towards the jury box, shoving Xemnas aside roughly and patting the seat next to her enticingly.

In an aside, she asked him, "What's with the kid?"

"I dunno, he followed me here!" he whispered back.

"Awwwwww, that's my Xian, always taking in random orphans and hobos from the cold, cruel streets!"

"And also assorted tramps, vagabonds, drifters, vagrants, beggars, freight-hoppers, rod-riders, knights of the road, rolling stones, bums, and deadbeats!"

"Hey, where'd you find that thesaurus, Xian?"

"Right here on the ground. Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

The quartet up front was still looking for someone to play the note. "Anyone? Anyone at all?" Axel asked desperately.

"I can play it!" the hobo, whose name was… Xalex, yelled. He pulled out a clarinet from beneath his hobo coat.

The four hummed the pitch, then launched into the song completely a capella as a random Berserker in the front row conducted with his big sword, scattering the others from around him in all directions.

They sang flawlessly, beautifully, holding out the last notes for an extra measure. Everyone applauded again, and the impromptu conductor bowed solemnly, wiping a tear from his eye.

"You didn't do anything!" The four yelled, booting the hapless Nobody out the door. This caused the chandelier to shake violently again, the crystal pendants clanging against each other, creating a melodic tune.

Everyone gave the quartet a standing ovation at this, continuing to clap until after they had returned to their seats.

Roxas cleared his throat and continued with the story. "Ahem, so after we sang… we started eating pizza. We decided that everyone got eight slices, but eventually we noticed there were still eight pieces left.

"Zexion was the one who figured out that we hadn't told Demyx that he could come out yet. So Axel and I shoved him in there, and neither came out for a long time. So Axel and I played a few games of super-intense-high-speed-rock-paper-scissors, and also entertained ourselves for a while by imagining what they were doing in there that would take so long.

"So then, Larxene knocked on the door. We let her in, and Axel and she started talking about blackmail photos. She took out her camera to show us how it had taken many pictures of… awkward situations throughout the years. And it was then, right when she was demonstrating the power of her high-power, low-light lens and flash, that Demyx and Zexion fell out. They were apparently… ahem, making out, but Zexion pulled himself off Demyx and sat on the bed. Demyx went and sat next to him, and Axel, Larxene, and I were laughing at them for a while.

"Larxene started asking them a few questions, and Zexion responded mostly in a negative manner. We were unsure about what happened, so we came up with this idea of having a trial. Zexion left to find a lawyer, Larxene went to prepare for the trial, and Demyx was getting everyone else ready. That was about all pertaining to the trial, I think…" Roxas finished.

Marluxia had been jotting down notes the whole time. He flipped back to a previous page on his legal pad and started asking more in-depth questions. "Why did you shove Zexion into the closet?"

"Uh… because we were too lazy to do it ourselves and Zexion was the closest. Besides, he figured it out, so he knew the most about the situation and probably cared the most."

"Did you think that Zexion might not have wanted to go into the closet, where his evil stalker was waiting?"

"Objection! The opposing council shall not use derogatory language to describe the defendant!"

Xaldin nodded again. "Sustained."

"Let me rephrase that. Did you think that Zexion might not have wanted to go into the closet, where Demyx, who had recently fought with him, was waiting?"

"No. I didn't really think about it at the time. It really didn't matter to me."

"Would you say that there was any reasoning behind the fact that Zexion was the one chosen to go into the closet, and not you or Axel?"

Roxas took a few seconds to respond, fumbling for words. "Well, um, I guess there wasn't really any reasoning behind it. I guess subconsciously we might have thought that Zexion wanted to see Demyx, and vice versa."

"How did Zexion appear to you after the events in the closet?"

"Well, uh, I'd have to say that he looked flushed and slightly embarrassed. He was looking quite uncomfortable."

"Would you agree with the statement that Demyx was acting aggressively towards the others in regards to Zexion?"

"Well, yes, to some extent anyway. He seemed like he was angry at me for some reason…"

"And would you say that Demyx is a good friend of yours?"

"Well, yeah."

"Can you think of any reason Demyx would be mad at you?"

"Well, he only seemed to get mad at me after I spazzed out for a bit, so I'm not exactly sure what he was thinking. I haven't done anything to him, except beat him in Super Smash Bros. Melee…"

"Hm. I see. No further questions." Roxas was about to step down from the box when Larxene stepped up.

"Cross-examination, Roxas."

"Oh… right…" Roxas was unable to resist shooting a wistful glance in Axel's direction. Larxene took note of the gaze and filed away this information for later. Roxas attempted to look casual and relaxed, but was inwardly praying that Larxene would not ask too many questions so that he could get back to Axel, his fiery… now how would he label Axel now?

He could say Axel was his lover, but that suggested an intimacy the two had yet to achieve. He could say Axel was his boyfriend… but that sounded really strange to Roxas for some reason. Axel was… just Axel, without a cute or witty epithet to describe him.

Larxene was asking Roxas a question. "Roxas? Hey, Roxas, pay attention!"

"Oh, um, sorry… I was just thinking about… something." His eyes flickered over to Axel involuntarily, reminding him to focus so that he could do something... else later. "Can you repeat the question, please?"

"The question was, how do you, Roxas, feel about Zexion? That is, what is your opinion on his character?"

"Hm, well…" Roxas had to think for a bit. "I'd have to say he's an okay guy, but I really don't know that much about him. All I know is that he's a pretty cool emo-ish type kid that spends a lot of time in his room."

"What do you think Zexion does in his room?" Larxene asked, clearly leading up to something.

"Well, I would expect that he spends a lot of time sitting and thinking. They do call him the Cloaked Schemer, after all."

Zexion groaned. This was not going to end well.

Larxene smiled like a cat who had just woken from her nap to find a plump, healthy mouse right in front of her paw. "So then, if Zexion's name in this Order is, 'The Cloaked Schemer,' doesn't that seem to infer that Zexion is, indeed, a devious planner at heart, and could potentially have created this trial as an elaborate ruse to get attention, not caring about how he crushed others in the process?"

Roxas was stuck. "Well, uh, um, yes, I guess so…."

Larxene had gotten her point across. "No further questions for this witness."

Roxas happily took a seat, thinking that surely Xaldin would adjourn court after his testimony. However, his usually good luck did not hold, for Xaldin simply gestured for Marluxia to bring up his next witness. Now, it was Zexion's turn in the spotlight.

Meanwhile, back at Larxenes's table, Demyx and Axel were talking in an excited fashion. Demyx had also picked up on the glances that the two often gave each other, those subtle moments where their thoughts were as one, and was proceeding to tease Axel to death.

"Hey, hey Axel! You love Roxas, don't you?"

Axel, however was calm about the whole situation. "Wha- how'd you find out?" he demanded angrily.

Demyx chose not to answer and instead began chanting, "Axel loves Roxas! Axel luuuuuuuuuuves Roxas!"

"Fine, well, you're right."

"Huh? You mean, you're not even going to try to hide it?' Demyx was surprised by Axel's nonchalant attitude.

"Well, it's true, isn't it? Why should I deny it? Besides, I know he feels the same, so…"

"Hmmm…" Demyx had to admit that Axel had a point. And it wasn't as if he hid his feelings for Zexion. And Axel at least had more reason to, knowing how Roxas felt. "So wait… Does this mean you two are going out! Have you gotten betrothed? Is there going to be a wedding? I LOVE WEDDINGS!"

"Hey, hey, wait a minute! This whole love-relationship thingy pretty much just started a few hours ago! Well, with actual, you know, events and such. I think we both liked each other for a while, but never actually told each other about it. And actually, well… I still haven't been able to tell him…"

"Awwwwwww! A tragic love story! Don't worry, I believe in you!" Demyx cried, obviously touched.

"Thank you, Demyx. I…. Believe!" All the fangirls on the jury applauded, they had been much more focused on the conversation than on the trial itself.

Marluxia hadn't even started questioning Zexion yet, so they hadn't missed anything.

Marluxia asked, "What is your name?"

"Zexion."

"What is your quest?'

"I seek the Holy Grail!"

"What… is your favorite color?'

" Blue! No, re-Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" A hidden spring in the seat shot Zexion across the room, knocking his head violently into the chandelier and propelling him out into the hallway, where his body crumpled up against the wall.

Most everyone gasped in horror, those of us who had gotten that reference laughed.

Xaldin sighed. This trial was not going as planned. Now he had to adjourn court again. "This court will have a brief recess before returning to the questioning upon the awakening of Zexion. Dismissed!"

Everyone cheered. They all loved recess! They could play tag, and go on the slide, and swing on the swings! And of course, the playground is where the children acted on their first, foolish crushes when the teachers weren't looking. The kids ran into the sunlight to play together.

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Xiana: That's the end! The next chapter is really long. So, I will break into the Zemyx chapter and the Akuroku chapter! Yay!

….And brownies for everyone who reviews! Yay! (hands brownies to everyone who reviews)


	17. The Tale of Old Mr Smith

Xiana: Chapter 17! Yeah, I think this one is pretty funny. Is it bad to laugh at your own work? It better not be… cuz then I'm like a total loser! It's fun to write random Zemyx. Yeah. I liked chapter 19 better, but this one is second place so far. Though 22 is shaping up quite nicely.

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'_Happy Birthday' is the Official Song of the Dead, as of Right Now_

Axel and Roxas were hanging out with Xiana and Xian. Keselyx and Xalex were in the general area, as were most of the others. Xemnas was sitting in an emo corner, sulking over his unwanted new hairstyle, as Saїx attempted to console him and Kel hovered around that general area happily.

Demyx was depressed that Zexion was in the hospital wing, and that Luxord had banned all visitors at the moment while he worked on both Zexion and Vexen. It turned out that Zexion just had some bruising, a few cuts from the glass of the chandelier, and he had somehow sprained his ankle. Luxord just needed to bind it up and bandage his wounds, and the trial would be ready to continue.

In other medical news, aside from Vexen's broken leg, he was healing well. He was remaining awake for longer periods of time and the poison that had osmosed through his skin seemed to be working itself out of his system. Luxord was hopeful that Vexen would make a full recovery with few to no health problems in the future. However, because it was a complex break, with many tiny shards of bone scattered, it would take quite a long time to heal, and Vexen would have a bit of a limp for the rest of his… non-existence. Still, he would live to experiment again.

Luxord was tired. He could feel himself about to fall asleep at any given moment. He had stayed up all night working on Vexen, and he hadn't gotten any coffee in the morning. Any real coffee, that is. Decaffeinated coffee is not real coffee, even if Xigbar had that condition where he could only drink decaf or… the world would explode. No joke.

They had ruined several worlds already when Xigbar had just _happened _to go into a Starmunny's and order a venti sized cappuccino with five shots of expresso. Damn, Luxord missed that place. What did they call it? Vegas? He was able to make several million dolares, or whatever they called money in that place, per night until that fateful incident, when Xigbar had drunk a cappuccino with six shots of expresso.

Strangely, instead of having its usual effect of causing him to run around wildly like a chicken with its head cut off, it had instead caused Xigbar to become evil and plotting, a shadow king! He had created a rift in the time-space continuum for multiple Heartless to come out and destroy the world!

They took their Gummi Ships to a far off location called End of the World that was all apocalyptic, with not a Starmoolah's in sight. Xemnas had been happy because it was super dark and he could spend time standing on the edge of a cliff looking dark and dramatic. Xaldin, Vexen, and Lexaeus had been happy because it meant that they could continue working on their experiments. Zexion liked the high supply of emo corners in this spiky location, Demyx liked it because it was wet and watery, and he had lots of room to sit around and play the sitar. Saїx and Axel didn't care about it at all.

Larxene had enjoyed the darkness, and she had been able to spend time alone with Xanare. Marluxia hated it because there wasn't much light, so he couldn't grow many of his most beautiful and deadly plants. Of course, Luxord had absolutely loathed it there because there was no one he could make money off of.

Xigbar had sulked for a while, suffering from coffee withdrawal. However, he had cheered up quite quickly after he discovered the mysterious columns of light that led to other worlds… and other StarLegalTenders.

Needless to say, they had moved on again quite quickly. They had discovered this world, that never was, far on the other side of the universe, and had proceeded to take over. They had forced their slaves (a Dusk and four Creepers) to build a castle up from the ground. Seeing how long it was taking, they moved into the abandoned castle next door. They still walked over every year to see the progress, and after all, these five had completed the 24-lane swimming pool, the wave pool, and the kiddy pool (keeping their priorities in order, of course). They had added a greenhouse on to the side for Marluxia last year, and this year they were working on the huge gymnasium that had to include 13 of every type of workout equipment known to Nobody-kind, and they had just finished digging pits to insert thirteen huge trampolines into the ground (allowing for easier access. Next year, construction was scheduled to begin on the rec room. Everyone was happy!

But, back to Luxord and his coffee. He jammed the door open to see Demyx moping around outside. "Demyx! Go to The Store and get me some coffee! Some real coffee! Not decaf! Otherwise…" his voice dropped to a deadly, intensely low whisper, "your little Zexion is going to die…"

"No… not my… ZEXIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNN!" Demyx ran to the store in search of the magical elixir that would keep his darling alive!

Luxord sighed and took a seat in the chair next to Vexen's bed. He could only hope… that Demyx… would get back before…

Luxord's head dropped down onto the bed, resting next to the pillow. Vexen laughed at Luxord, admiring the kid's determination to take care of everyone. He really was trying his hardest.

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Demyx went to The Store. He ran through the automatic doors and looked around for a map of the huge grocery store. Just because he was sent here for groceries about every other Wednesday didn't actually mean he knew where anything was. He usually just wandered around aimlessly for a while until he found something that looked yummy. Once he had brought home 13 giant king crabs, which everyone had quite enjoyed. He had brought pineapples, and sushi, and jumbo-sized Pocky.

One time, he had brought home a cake labeled with the words, "Congratulations on 80 years, Mr. Smith!" The lady at the bakery section had told him that Mr. Smith had died the day before his birthday, so the family had…canceled the cake for obvious reasons. No one seemed to care when Demyx had repeated the story, though Larxene had later complained that the cake tasted like old man. (?)

Of course, no one had complained after Demyx had read the label and informed them all that it was champagne cake, as in very alcoholic. Actually, that had just seemed to make them want it more. They had finished the entire huge cake that night, and it was a very bedraggled and obviously drunk Organization 13 that had straggled up to Old Mr. Smith's nursing home in the wee hours of the morning, raucously bursting in with various 'presents', which mainly consisted of Larxene's underwear (though there was a frilly pair belonging to Xemnas in there), and singing the Happy Birthday song outside Mr. Smith's old room before everyone fell asleep in a huge heap outside.

They had all woken up with massive hangovers and an angry army of senior citizens standing over them (the ones that could stand anyway). The evil elders had chased them out of the building before resuming their early morning Bingo game. That had been a fun day, as they had plodded home, looking like a group of hobos, otherwise known as a plethora of hobos, or a macaroni of hobos, after the Kraft™ food that all hobos love to eat. They had all wanted something dark to cover themselves with because of their extreme sensitivity to light, and it was then that Xemnas had organized the uniforms (the black cloaks) that everyone was forced to wear on Sundays during the staff meeting of justice.

The outfit had been designed after what Roxas was wearing that day. (He was going through an emo period.) It was a long, black leather coat, and it protected him form the sun quite well. So well, in fact, that Xemnas had commanded Roxas to give the coat to him, as his Superior. Roxas was too hung over to complain, and he had had to walk home in his combat boots and robot boxer shorts. Demyx wondered if Axel remembered that… because he was pretty sure he had that picture in his blackmail drawer.

No! Stop getting distracted! Demyx scanned the lists of departments for coffee. "COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" he yelled, running at top speed down the aisle to claim his prize. As he ran down Aisle 25, cat food, on his way to Aisle 28, coffee and cuppycake mix, he cursed himself silently, tears of sorrow running down his face. How could he have jeopardized Zexion's life with his thoughts about some old guy?! He was a terrible person, he was less than nothing, he was- Demyx ran into the wall.

"Curse this Attention Deficit Disorder!" Demyx yelled before turning around and running back to the coffee aisle for reals this time.

He grabbed a few tins of coffee, as well as a box of vanilla cuppycake mix. Roxy really did make the best cuppycakes, and besides, there was never anything good for snacks in the castle these days. That in mind, he grabbed several boxes of Pocky for his own personal stash as he waited in the checkout line. He was relieved when it was his turn to pay for his groceries. He dumped everything onto the conveyor belt and began reaching into his pocket for his wallet, which he suddenly realized he had left in his room. Aw, crap. He looked up at the cashier hopefully. The man behind the register was, unfortunately, Fred Tic-Tac, the guy Roxas had beated up the other night. He looked **_awful_**, even more so because of the injuries Roxas had inflicted upon him.

Demyx looked up at Fred again. "Uh… I… forgot my wallet at home, so…"

" No cash, no… trash," Fred rhymed, glaring at Demyx.

"But, you can always put it on my tab, right?" Demyx asked suppliantly.

"No can do, bozo. Not unless you were our best customer, Mr. Demyx Nueve! Which you clearly aren't, because he's cool! And he doesn't buy coffee, unless it's decaf!"

"But I am Demyx Nueve!" Demyx had made his last name up when he had to fill out an application for a store discount card.

"Well then, let's see some proof," Fred sneered.

"I don't have any identification, because I left my wallet at home, remember!?" Demyx yelled.

"Well then, I guess you're out of luck, pal. " Mean Fred swept Demyx's items off the counter, watching them fall to the floor. "Next!"

"No, you don't understand! I have to have these things! And if I don't give this coffee to the doctor soon, my boyfriend… is going to die!" Demyx shouted, tears beginning to run down his face again.

"Not my problem, homo." Fred began ringing up the items of a lady who lived on Aisle 25, cat food.

Demyx looked around desperately, finally catching sight of Jimmy-John Tic-Tac, Fred's older brother who was the manager. "Jimmy, Jimmy-John!" he yelled, waving his arms excitedly.

"What is it, Demyx?" the manager asked, coming over.

"This mean guy over here won't let me put anything on my tab, even when it's a life or death situation!" Demyx yelled, putting on a sad face.

"Is this true, Fred?" Jimmy-John turned on Fred angrily.

"How am I supposed to know that is really the infamous Demyx Nueve?"

"Because his picture is everywhere in the store!" J-J yelled, gesturing to the wall that held the cigarettes and, ahem, stronger drugs. "Look, right there, next to the employee-of-the-month wall! It's the Demyx wall!"

It was true, right next to a wall mostly covered by pictures of a pretty girl named Maria who worked in the bakery was a wall covered with pictures of none other than Demyx.

"I never look over there because I'm not on the employee-of-the-month wall!" Fred whined. "You always choose that girl Maria over me, your own brother!" he accused.

"Uh, yeah, because you suck at this!" J-J yelled. "You should be lucky I haven't fired you yet!"

"You can't fire me! Mommy wouldn't like it!"

"Our mother disinherited you ten years ago, you idiot!"

Demyx raised a hand shyly. "Um… Mr. Tic-Tac, sir? Could I just… take these items and pay for them tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure Demyx! No worries!" Jimmy-John smiled at Demyx before returning to the argument. "I hope you die, in a magical pool of fiery lava, that will roast you alive, until some compassionate soul comes by, to put you out of your misery!"

"Oh yeah, well… your mom!"

""Well your face!"

"Well your mom's face! What now, bitch?"

"Frederick Animadversions Quincy POCFWTSHOSO Tic-Tac, you are officially fired from The Store!"

To make a long story short, Fred complained for a while, tried to call his mom, tried to call his brother Timmy-Tom, who was a lawyer, and eventually left to live life as a hobo on the streets, generally giving all the other hobos a bad name.

Demyx ran home from The Store, hoping he would still be on time to save teh Zexion!

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Zexion was bored. Luxord was sleeping, Vexen was sleeping, and he couldn't put pressure on his ankle for about half an hour.

He couldn't even reach the remote that was so… close… on that table over there. He was about to attempt to get it for what seemed like the eight-billionth time when Demyx burst into the room.

"Luxay, Luxay, I've got the coffay! Now you can save mah Zexay, right?"

Zexion sighed. Still, Demyx was better than nothing, right? "Demyx, over here."

"Yay! You're still alive!" Demyx flung himself on top of Zexion, hugging him and kissing him wildly.

"Of course I'm still alive. Luxord only said that so you'd get him some coffee."

"Well, yeah, so you wouldn't die!" Demyx stopped kissing him long enough to state this matter-of-factly.

"Dem, I was never in any danger of dying. And, uh, would you mind getting off of me a bit? I'm kinda bruised up and stuff, you know…"

Demyx sighed, but rolled to the side of the bed, rolling Zexion with him so that he could continue to shower Zexion with affection. "So, you're going to be okay, right?" he asked anxiously.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Demyx. It's nice of you to worry, though."

"That's good… I don't want you to leave me, even if it is mostly my fault when you get hurt."

"Awww, it's okay, Demyx!" Zexion kissed his friend on the cheek. "Actually, it's more of Marluxia's fault, anyway."

"No, I was the one who got you into all this…" Demyx protested, looking down, refusing to meet Zexion's eyes.

Zexion responded by kissing Demyx again, this time on the lips. It was short and chaste, but left no doubt in Demyx's mind that Zexion really did care. His eyes formed tears for the umpteenth time that day, but this time, they were tears of joy.

"Thank you, Zexy, really."

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Xiana: Sorry! It took a while to update this, huh? Sorry! Ummmm… Cuppycakes for reviewers!

Next chapter: Akuroku! Yay! XD


	18. Into the Deep End

Xiana: Here it is! Chapter 18! Hm…. I wonder how many more chapters it will be before the ending… At least 7, I think. This one's short.

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_Into the Deep End_

Roxas was bored! He didn't want to talk to these people! He wanted to be with Axel! Yet Axel was here, waiting for something apparently, because he wasn't doing what he had promised. Axel said something which made everybody laugh, then walked away, dragging Roxas along by the hand.

"What was that all about?" Roxas hissed. "I wanted to spend time alone with you, remember?"

"Don't worry! I just had to ask those two to do something for me…"

"What? Come on, tell me!"

"Well, as you know, today is the third Friday of the month. Which means that it's the day our Dusk slave has off, which means that those Creeps will be at some Mafia meeting. Go get your swimsuit, Roxy, I'll meet you back here. Be sure to wear normal clothes over your trunks though." Axel turned to go to his room, giving Roxas a jaunty wave.

'_Swimming…with Axel…' _Roxas was happy. He was reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally happy. _'But… what did he want those people to do?'_

---------------------

"So… why are we helping them again?"

"Because they make an adorably cayute couple!"

"Okay…"

"If you don't believe me… read this!" Xiana handed Xian a copy of Gravitation book 1!

"Cool." He started reading the book as Xiana dragged him along to find someone who had just shown up from nowhere, but would prove to be helpful in this instance. Yay!

They went down the hall to where a girl was waiting for them. "Oyei, Kai-chan! We need your help!"

"With what?" asked a girl who resembled Kairi.

"Can you distract Xaldin? We don't want the trial to continue today!"

"Okay! Um… for what reason?"

"Because Aku-chan and Roku-chan are going on a romantic date!"

"All right! I'll do it!"

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Xaldin was reading the newspaper and drinking some icky decaf coffee when suddenly, a girl in a red shirt and a tannish skirt and boots jumped into the kitchen! "Xaldin-saaaaaaaaaaaannn! It was terrible, first there was this fish and it was drowning, so I pulled it out of the ocean and tried to save it but then it died! So I was going to flush him down the toilet for a proper burial at sea, but then the toilet was clogged up because he was a giant shark so it wouldn't flush him so I had to cut him into different chunks and flush them separately, but then all the toilets got clogged, every single one in the whole castle and so now the entire place is flooding and you're the only one who can do anything, please, Xaldin, help me!!!!!"

Xaldin was unsure what to do, and so in a time like this, his brain shut down and he fell to the floor, twitching. Kai walked out of the kitchen and met back up with Xiana and Xian. "Mission complete!"

"So… why did you need me to come along?"

"Because… you were there for emotional support, Xian."

"That's cool."

---------------------

Roxas ran down the stairs, anxious to down with Axel down to the pool… he got shivers just thinking about it!

Axel was already waiting there, so Roxas felt he should apologize. "Hey, sorry I'm late…" Roxas ducked his head slightly.

"Late for our first date, Roxy?" Axel asked jokingly. "I see this relationship won't last."

"Don't joke about things like that! And wait… first… date?"

"Yep, date! It's no candle-lit romantic dinner for two, but it's still better than randomly hooking up in the kitchen, right?"

"Although that was fun too…"

"But this will be exciting! Come on! Let's go!" Axel cried eagerly. They burst out through the side doors, racing to see who could get there first.

Roxas took the lead quickly with his youthful energy (YOSH!), but Axel beat him at the last moment, using his long legs as an advantage. "Heheh, looks like I win, Roxy!"

"You cheater! And what… do you win?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Axel purred, holding the gate open for Roxas.

"Why yes, yes I would."

"It's a secret! Anyway, I'm gonna go change in here, you wanna go in that other room there?"

"Sure." Roxas went into the room usually reserved for Larxene and took off his clothes so that he was dressed only in his blue and yellow swim trunks. He rinsed off in the shower as he knew he was supposed to, dried his face off, and brought a few more towels out so that they could dry off after they were finished… swimming.

He came back out to the pool area in time to see Axel finish a lap in the pool and start to pull himself out of the pool, water running in rivulets down his face. He fell right back in when he noticed Roxas watching him wide-eyed.

He resurfaced and shook his head like a dog would, drops spraying out in all directions. He waved happily. "Hey, Roxas, wanna swim?"

"Uh, sure." Roxas set the towels down on a table and walked closer to the pool, allowing Axel to get a better look at him.

"Daaaaamn…" Axel whistled long and low, very appreciatively, making Roxas blush.

"You're not bad looking yourself, you know…"

"… I just want to jump you so bad right now…"

"I kinda know how you feel." Instead of acting on their impulses, however, Roxas turned on the waves in the wave pool and they both got in, bobbing up and down in the tide.

"So, um… what does one do on a date?" Roxas asked, feeling young and inexperienced.

"Well, I guess it all depends on what kind of date it is! And if it's a swimming date, I guess that means we get to stare at each other form time to time with unrepressed lust, and we get to bump into each other and pretend we didn't really mean it, while both knowing that we really did mean it, and it was just a cheap excuse to sort of, feel each other up a bit."

"I get it!" Roxas smiled. "I like this plan! But… how about we change it up just a bit? We don't want to be like everyone else, do we?" He pushed off the bottom of the pool and leapt on Axel, kissing him long and hard. A wave crashed over them, and they broke apart, spitting out water and laughing.

"You're right, Roxy!" It was Axel's turn to grab Roxas and dive with him underwater. They swam together to the shallow end of the pool, where they basked in the sun for a while, enjoying the relaxing pattern of the waves and the small points of contact where their wrists and feet just barely touched.

Axel got up eventually and ran off into the waves. He waited until a big wave came, then started paddling away as it crested and brought him back to shore next to Roxas again. "Woohoo!" he yelled.

"What were you doing?" Roxas asked curiously.

"It's body surfing. See, I'll show you!" Axel ran back out into the waves, showing off for Roxas again.

"All right, now let me try!" Roxas jumped up and attempted to ride the next wave, but failed pathetically, sinking to the bottom of the pool.

He reemerged, blond hair lying slightly flatter. "Eheheh, I kinda failed…"

" Que sera sera, Roxy! Here, let me help you this time." Axel took Roxas' hand and pulled him out to where another wave was just coming up. " All right… ready… jump and swim away!" Roxas followed Axel's lead and the two washed back up at the edge of the water, gasping from the thrill of being carried away by something much stronger than either of them could hope to command.

They laughed about this for a while before they noticed it was getting darker. They jumped up and started swimming away towards the deepest end of the pool. At one point, Roxas accidentally splashed Axel in the face, which caused Axel to splutter for a moment and then send a huge wave of water that nearly drowned Roxas again.

They started a splashing war, each finding new, creative ways to get the other as wet as possible. Finally, Roxas stopped, apparently looking for something in the water. Axel paddled over curiously. "Watcha looking for, Roxy?"

"Oh, just… this!" Roxas had his fingers cupped together and he now squeezed them together so that water sprayed out, splashing Axel right in the face.

"Roxy!" Axel jumped on him then, holding him underwater. Roxas wrapped himself around Axel, dragging him down as well,

"A-are you trying to kill me?" Axel gasped as they resurfaced, shooting a jet of water from his mouth and hitting Roxas in the face.

"I could ask you the same thing!" They looked over at each other shyly before Roxas leaned over to kiss Axel sweetly on the cheek. "This is so cheesy, buy if you have to drown me, drown me in your love."

"That _is_ cheesy, Roxas! Come on, back out to the deep end!" They swam and pulled themselves onto the far edge of the pool, the waves long since having stopped, as the sky darkened and the sun sank below the horizon.

They sat there, feet dangling in the water, simply enjoying the time they had to spend with each other. As the first stars glittered in the darkening heavens, Axel turned to Roxas. "Roxas, I have to know something."

"Yes? What is it, Axel?"

"Roxas…" Axel gazed deep into the two glowing sapphires that were Roxas' eyes, radiant despite the faint glow of twilight that dulled everything else to a dull grey. "Roxas… will you marry me?"

"Wh… what?" Roxas blinked confusedly, long lashes hiding away that beautiful blue light. "Where did that come from?"

Axel smiled. "Just kidding! You wouldn't look that good in a wedding dress anyway."

"Oh, you wanna bet? I'd be much prettier than you!"

"No arguments there, Roxy." Strange images formed in their minds and they laughed together for a while.

Roxas shivered slightly as twilight faded to dusk. He stood to get up for those towels he had set out earlier, but Axel tugged on Roxas' hand gently. "Don't leave now…"

"But… but I'm cold…" Roxas whined.

"Oh, Roxy, you silly, don't you worry." Axel pulled an unresisting Roxas down to snuggle in his lap. "I'll keep you warm, darling."

"Darling?"

"Yes, Roxy-dear? What is it?"

"Um… actually I was just questioning your epithet." The silence hung in the air for a few moments before Roxas spoke up again. "I guess I just want to say thanks. Thanks for inviting me to come here with you. This day… it's been just like paradise for me. Nothing bad at all has happened." Roxas tilted his head to look up into Axel's upside down face. "I wish… it would never end."

"You have to just take it all in, you know?"

"I know. I'm trying." Axel kissed Roxas on the forehead, completely overwhelmed by his cuteness.

"I'll take it all in with you. We'll get it all. We won't forget a moment." Axel maneuvered Roxas so that the two were sort of straddling each other before drawing him into a long embrace.

Roxas relaxed, smoothed by the warmth of Axel's arms, leaning down into the smooth curves of Axel's strong chest. "I can't live without you. You know that, right?"

"The day you die is the day I die," Axel promised recklessly, resting his chin lightly on Roxas' tousled blond hair.

"I… I just want to be with you. I'd do anything for you, anything!" Roxas had shrugged out of the embrace and was staring earnestly into Axel's eyes, azure orbs gazing fiercely into viridian ones.

"I know. I just… I just want you so bad I can't even handle it. There's … sort of a pain I feel when you go away. Just even when I was in the other room changing before, I just… kinda felt like I was missing something. Roxas… I want…. I need you to stay with me…"

Roxas' only reaction was to kiss Axel hard, putting forth everything he had to give into that moment. Axel fell back to the soft grass bordering the edge of the pool, unresisting beneath the intensity of Roxas' passion. Their bodies collided, sparking a warmth that grew into a raging inferno of desire.

Roxas didn't let up for a second, ferocious intruding into Axel's mouth, making Axel cry out, quivering with the touches and ardent kisses that allowed him to understand the true depth of Roxas' feelings.

When Axel was beginning to think that Roxas would never let him go (not that this was a bad thing), the entire mood changed. Roxas relented, making the nearly unbearable pressure considerably lighter, replacing untempered passion with sweet, spontaneous motions. Tenderly, tenderly he swept his fingertips across Axel's bare chest, causing him to convulse slightly. Axel returned the favor, pressing lightly against points in Roxas' back that made him squirm with enjoyment.

Their pulses quickened, their internal rhythms becoming as one. And then, all too suddenly, Roxas got up. "We can't go on like this. Not here, not now," he whispered quietly in a distressed voice.

"But… why…?" Axel fought the urge to drag Roxas right back on top of him.

"Because… it's getting late, and we should probably get back home…" Roxas knelt on the ground, unwilling to stand because of the finality that it would be associated with.

Eventually, Axel stood up, taking Roxas' hand. "Well, then we should go back." He led the way back to the changing rooms. They grabbed their towels and headed in to change, each disappointed by this anticlimactic end to the day, though both knew it had been a wise decision.

They walked together in silence, walking to their own separate rooms to rest for the big day tomorrow.

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Xiana: Aaaah! What an anticlimactic ending for a chapter! Waaaaah, I'm sorry….. A present for all reviewers! A super set of Aku and Roku "Swim Buddies Dolls!"

Axel: I want a Roxy one!

Xiana: Well, then you'll just have to review, won't you?

Axel: I'll review a million billion times!

Next chapter: My favorite chapter so far. I don't quite know why, since I find a lot of things to criticize.


	19. Emoiness, and Demyx Talks Way Too Much

Xiana: It is time for Chapter 19. Which I really like for reasons as yet unknown. I use that phrase a lot. So, um…. Chapter 19! Yay!

Demyx talks a lot this time. So if you actually read that whole thing, you have my respect. Seriously. I must have been going insane at the time I wrote that.

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_Emo-i-ness, and Demyx talks way too much_

Zexion was reluctant to let go of Demyx, but he gently pried Demyx off him when he noticed Luxord beginning to wake up, stirring slightly. Zexion shook Demyx gently, realizing he had fallen asleep. It was too late, for Demyx was a very sound sleeper, and Luxord had already gotten up to check on Zexion.

"So, Zexion, how are… Why is Demyx here?" Luxord asked in confusion.

"Uh… well, he brought your coffee, and you were asleep, and then he got tired, so I let him crash here with me."

"He could have just slept in that bed over there, couldn't he?" Luxord gestured to a bed in the corner with a sheet hanging around it for privacy.

"Well, but he was cold, and…"

"Okay, Zexion. Either completely deny it and get over Demyx or just admit you like him. Stop being such a flip-flopper!"

"But how can I choose? I can't say that I feel a certain way when I can't even feel anything!"

"So what? You still think something! Why can't you choose? It should be simple. Do you want to spend time with Demyx or not?"

"I- I do…"

"Well, then isn't it clear what you have to do? He's loved you all along, so why don't you please show him some kindness after being so thickheaded and consistent in your ability to believe anything but what Xemnas has told you is true? He deserves it, Zex. He's the only one who treats everyone with kindness and respect, no matter what."

"I will. But who are you to talk, when you spend as much time insulting him as anyone?"

"Demyx does deserve kindness, but he can't be allowed to make foolish mistakes and blunders that make the rest of us look bad!" It was about at this time that Demyx woke up, hugging his Zexy-cuddly-bear-muffin-emo-dearest-darling-lover tightly.

"So what it Demyx makes mistakes? At least he learns from them! He always learns new things, and remember, you make your fair share of mess-ups too!" Zexion defended Demyx, embracing him.

"And how do you think he learns? Through criticism, that's how!"

"Criticism, yes, but not insults! I'm guilty of this too, but you can't just verbally abuse someone just because they were never taught how to do something!"

"Well, then you should start by setting a good example for the rest of us, then!"

"It's hard to be a good person! I try, but sometimes, it's just… anyway, I'd never do anything like that to Demyx!" Zexion was hardly thinking about what he was saying, concentrating solely on defending himself and Demyx.

"Yeah, my Zexy is nice to me! He's never mean at all!" Demyx joined in the conversation, surprising both Zexion and Luxord, neither of which had noticed that he was awake.

"D-Demyx, when did you…?"

"I woke up when you were being sweet and defending me from my cruel and bitter rival, Luxord!"

"I'm not your rival, Demyx."

"Oh, what, so now I'm not good enough for you?"

"Demyx, I-"

"Hey, don't be mean! Cuz Zexion will beat you up if you insult me without reason!"

"When did anyone say that?"

"You would do that for me, though, wouldn't you? Cuz you luuuuuuuve me?"

"I don't…" Zexion noticed Luxord looking at him with a certain expression on his face. An expression that clearly said, 'Tell him the truth, or so help me, I'll beat you up so bad, you'll make that guy, Fred, who used to work at The Store and is now a hobo, look positively beautiful in comparison. You'll be so ugly, you'll have to go on that new reality TV show that makes normal people feel better about themselves by showing only pictures of extremely ugly people, dropping viewer suicide to 0 percent and boosting suicide rates of the special guests to 100 percent, the number one in the country, "So You Think You're Ugly"!'

Now, one may be asking how it is possible to display such a specific and completely unique facial expression, but I would like to take the time to assure you, it is entirely possible if you, like Luxord, have taken what I like to call Facial Yoga.

"Yeah, that Fred guy was really ugly! And I love that show 'So You Think You're Ugly,' it's hilarious! Now, what sort of truth thingy did you have to tell me, Zexion?" Now, one may be asking how it is possible to understand Luxord's face, but I would like to take the time to assure you, it is entirely possible when you, like Demyx, have mastered the ancient art of 'Looking at Someone's Face in order to Understand What they are Trying to Tell You.' Actually, Demyx just made that up to sound cool.

Eventually, Zexion felt compelled to respond. "Yes, Demyx, it is true. I would definitely beat that guy up for you… because I love you."

Demyx jumped off the bed and ran to hide in a corner. "Who… who are you? You're not my Zexy…"

"Demyx, it is me. Me, Zexion…?" Zexion was confused. Wasn't this what Demyx wanted? Why did it seem so hard to believe that Zexion would say such a thing?

"But-ay, mah Zex-ay is terribly terribly shy-ay! He would never be brave enough to return my feelings in front of someone else like this!"

"Demyx, is that how you really feel about me?"

"Well, it's true, isn't it?

It was then that Zexion realized something. _'Demyx… is meaner to me than I am to him, isn't he?'_

'_Wow, you do have a point!' _ commented the new weather-person, a charismatic young man by the name of Koyama Mariachi.

'_What should I do now, sensei?'_ Zexion asked the amazing, super cool, and very blond new weatherman.

'_You should, um… go on a romantic picnic! Yeah!'_

'_How will that help?'_

'_Uh, well, it might be fun! You never know! Plus then he wouldn't be so mean!' _the new weatherman cheered.

'_Well, we'll take your suggestion and see what happens.'_

'_Who is this "we?"?' _Koyama asked confusedly.

'_We, as in, the royal we!' _ Zexion really had quite high self-esteem, despite his emo-i-ness.

"Uh, Luxord, would you mind leaving us alone for a bit?" Zexion asked hopefully.

"Yeah, you can make that coffee and save Zexy's life!" Demyx pounced on Zexion again, snuggling up to him like a kitty cat.

Zexion petted Demyx absently. "Yeah, we've got a few things to talk about… in private."

Luxord rolled his eyes. "I'm going, I'm going. Just be sure not to disturb Vexen, all right?"

"RIGHT!" Luxord left and Demyx leaned in, wondering what was happening.

"So… so so so what's up?"

"Well… well well well," Zexion mimicked Demyx's over-eagerness, "I guess I understand where you're coming from now."

"I came from The Store! To save your life!"

"No, I mean like…" Zexion gestured around at the room in general, "all this. Everything."

"Okay…" Demyx was obviously confused, but he didn't want to show stupidity in front of Zexion.

"What I'm trying to say is… I finally understand how you feel now, and I think I really can feel the same way." Zexion ducked his head shamefully.

"Oh, wow, you're really brave now, Zexy! I'm so proud of you for conquering your fear of commitment!" Demyx hugged Zexion. Again.

"I wasn't scared of commitment! I just… didn't understand how I felt."

"Aw, whatever. It doesn't matter, as long as we're together and in luuuuuuuve!"

"Um, yeah, sure…"

"So now what do we do? We still have that whole trial thingy!"

"You know, I don't know."

"I know! We should pretend to be all mean and mad and angry at each other just to make everyone wonder! And at night, when no one is around to see us, we can sneak out for a secret, romantic, rendezvous!"

"Uh… sounds cool…"

"Okay, then it's a plan! Come sing romantic songs to be on my balcony tonight, okay?"

"But… but I can't sing…"

"Yes you can! Have more confidence in yourself! You have a very nice bass singing voice, you know!"

"I'm really not that good of a singer… besides, what would I sing?"

"Uh, I dunno. You could sing Happy Birthday to me, it's not my birthday for two months but you were a big hit at Old Mr. Smith's birthday party!"

"Demyx… I hate to break this to you, but Mr. Smith was dead at the time."

"Yeah, I know, but still! I bet he appreciated it in the next world! And really, who wouldn't appreciate being sung to by a sex-ay Zex-ay? I know! Zexy, you should, like, get a job as a male stripper! Because then everyone would give you tons of money!" Demyx then temporarily changed his mind. "No! My Zex-ay is for my eyes onl-ay!"

Zexion wasn't sure about Demyx's thoughts about his possible future profession. You see, he had recently taken a test called the Bridges test, which is something that basically tells you what job you should have.

Zexion's had told him that he should be a. A scientist, b. A minimum-wage fast-food worker, c. The sixth member of a criminal Organization primarily focused on worlds domination and consisting of thirteen members, or d. A hypodermic needle.

He wasn't entirely sure about the results, but the first two were extremely accurate, the third was only somewhat plausible, and the last one… well, that was probably what you get for answering yes to the "Do you like to stabbity people?" question. It definitely hadn't said anything about being a stripper, male or otherwise. Zexion wasn't really sure how Demyx had come up with idea, although it sort of made sense if you had followed the conversation. But what would make anyone think that he'd be good at… such a thing?

Demyx had changed his mind again. "No, you should be a stripper after all, because you'd get paid a lot of money and I'd know that you'd never cheat on me with anyone else, and at every show I'd relax in the back with a glass of high quality Bordeaux or a similarly respectable and cultured wine, and watch all the fangirls and boys screaming your name with contempt, for I would know that as soon as the show ended, you were mine and mine only…"

Zexion had to say, it was quite impressive how Demyx could make such blatant sexual innuendos and still maintain the image of a sweet, innocent child. "Just what makes you think I'd get paid a lot?" Like he wanted to know. Really, he should have just changed the subject.

"Well, duh! You're so damn pretty that if you even show an inch of skin, girls come from miles around and scream for you!"

"Hmm, well, that is quite descriptive, if not entirely accurate." It was true that Zexion sometimes woke up to see girls pressed up against the window, staring at him, and that he had to use the shower on the ninth floor, by the gym, for the same reason. Although, whoever had the idea to make a completely glass room, without any curtains or drapery, into a bathroom had really had a problem. Especially when that room was located right in front, perfectly visible from the front gate.

Zexion had only ever used that shower once, on a dare. And once… had been enough. Enough said.

"Trust me. If you were ever to want to become a male stripper, you'd be a billion-munny-aire in no time at all."

"Okay, we need a new topic. Uh… nice weather we've been having lately, huh?"

"Uh, I dunno. What has the weather been like recently?"

"Uh… well…" _'Quick, Koyama! What has the weather been like recently?'_

'_Hell if I know. I just got hired yesterday, after that other guy went all emo and killed himself.'_

'_Oh yeah. I forgot.' _ "Uh… It's been hot… in Topeka?"

"Wow, really? That's pretty cool, I once had a cousin who lived in Topeka, one of those third cousins by martial law or something, he lived in Topeka for a long long time, but then he died, he got eaten by a carnivorous duck, I didn't even know there were ducks in Topeka but he got eaten all the same, it was kind of sad because I went to his funeral and it was one of those open casket thingies, but it was actually pretty funny because his nose had been bitten off and he was all ugly and stuff, maybe as ugly as some chick who called herself the Karma Fairy and was too ugly for the 'So You Think You're Ugly' show, but probably not that ugly, in fact I really doubt it, because actually he was about as ugly as that Fred guy, you know, Fred Tic-Tac, ugly, bad attitude, Roxas beat him up for being an asshole pretty much, that Fred, he got fired because of me, so now he's shaming all the other poor hobos, anyway, he was about as ugly as Fred, and I'm pretty sure that everyone was nauseated by the sight of Jim, did I tell you his name was Jim, because it is, and Jim was all icky and stuff like some freaky zombie thing, and in fact I'm sure that someone wanted to hire him as an extra for a scary zombie movie, one of those ones that terrify me to no end, but he got fired because he was dead, I mean, duh, you'd think they would have noticed because he was fucking LYING IN A CASKET when they saw him, but mostly they just said he was a bad actor and so all of us that were there were all, 'No shit, Sherlock,' and they had to pay him severance even though I think it's actually illegal to give money to a corpse in Topeka, even one who got eaten by a carnivorous duck, in fact I think they actually went to jail for that even though it's a really dumb law, just because they want to be in the news, those media whores, cuz you know, you never hear about Topeka on the regular news, just on The Weather Channel, or as I like to call it, Tee Dubya Cee and Oh Em Gee Zexion, I just remembered, you definitely get that channel in your head, isn't that fucking hilarious, I think so, it really makes you a unique individual, which is good because I like unique individual persons, and so I guess that's why I luuuuuuuuuuve you the best, because you're so interesting, I mean, come on, you're not a normal person at all, well actually none of us are, because we're all Nobodies, and we don't have hearts, at least that's what Xemnas says all the time, that guy is a real nut job, all that darkness and crap, I mean, come on, no one here really cares, but you know if we don't have hearts, then really, shouldn't we be called Heartless, cuz we don't have Hearts, and we definitely have bodies, so you can't call us Nobodies, because otherwise we'd be ghosts and stuff, and the next game you know is probably going to have soul enemies except they'll really be called Soulless or Nosouls or the word soul with some equally negative prefix or suffix tacked on there, even though they really will have a soul and stuff, and I'm not really sure how a soul can be an enemy, really aren't they just like glowing balls of light, I mean that's what I always thought anyway, so maybe they'll be allies or something, because actually I dunno, I thought we were going to play as the bad guys this time around, you know, the Keybearer destroying the universe and all, or maybe just as a group of heroes fighting to save the world even when it won't actually work, although maybe they actually will because it is Disney, you know, although I don't understand why Square, that is, Square-Enix, don't they call it Squeenix to shorten it, I'm not sure, but anyway, I'm not sure why they can't just be in charge of the whole thing because the first one was the best fucking game I've ever played, Chain of Memories was okay, and it had really really fucking good cut scenes even though there were only like three of them in the whole game, were there two in Riku mode, I don't know, but anyway it was okay but the second game I'm pretty sure Buena Vista came in there and fucked it up some because in that game, you played for the storyline and the appearances by Organization XIII, us that is, especially Axel because he was so funny and traitorous and it was so sad during Roxas' part because you could toooootally see that they were written as canon even though they had to put Naminé in there as a sort of appeasement to Disney because Disney would be like, 'ZOMG, you fools who are clearly inferior to us want to put shonen-ai in there, well you can't' although actually I think they said something more like 'If we put homosexual relationships into this story, then all those crazy girls, and maybe a few boys too, will go crazy, crazier that is, because they can't write all that stuff and argue with all the innocent young children who only think Sora/Kairi and Roxas/Naminé because that's what they've been told all their lives is right, and what fun would that be?' or actually they were probably just like 'No' and yeah, that's not cool because teh Akuroku is teh shizznow, and Akuroku is a really cool word, from the Japanese you know, and our names are cool too, you know Demikkusu and Zekushion, and I'm losing oxygen pretty fast, because I haven't stopped to breathe yet, and that's pretty crazy, oxygen is good, yeah, oxygen, it's one-third of H2O, water, the best thing since sliced bread and good old-fashioned Zemyx loving, because we really make such an adorable couple it's like not even funny, except it is because we're not even in the same game, but we still have quite a loyal fan base, I wonder who decided we'd be good together, it doesn't matter, because we are, and you know, I said oxygen was one-third if H2O before, but it's actually probably not, I just don't really know anything about chemistry, or physics, or anything, because I'm really not that good at science, and I'm really more of an artistic-slash-musical kind of guy, and you know artistical types aren't usually scientific, and vice-versa, because I don't know, it's just a common stereotype I guess, and so maybe that's why I'm such a good match for you, opposites attract and all that, but you know, we might be still kind of the same at some stuff, actually, we're pretty much polar opposites, we really have nothing in common, except for our common luuuuuuuuuuve for each other, you may be wondering why I say 'luuuuuuuuuuve' instead of just 'love', well really it's just because it's unique and definitely different, not boring and clichéd, anyway, I luuuuuuuuuuve you, and do you know what the best part is?"

Complete and utter silence. "….Uh, no. What is the best part, Demyx?"

"When I was walking home from the store, I saw these guys, they were from that show 'So you Think You're Ugly' and they were walking around looking for people, I guess (they didn't even look at me, I must be pretty! Yay!), and this was about when Fred got fired. Sooooooooo, I think they'll find Fred, put him on the show, and he'll meet the ex-Karma Fairy, and they'll fall in love and have three of the most hideous children ever, and maybe one beautiful one that will be taken away at an early age, cuz genes get messed up sometimes, you know, and so there will be a WEDDING! I LOVE WEDDINGS!" Demyx realized too late that he had accidentally woken up Vexen. "Aw, shit."

"WHY DID YOU FUCKING WAKE ME UP I NEED MY SLEEP SO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW BOTH OF YOU!!!"

They got out of bed and ran for the door, Zexion limping and leaning on Demyx for support. "Hm… that could have gone better…"

-----------------

Roxas woke up, sorrowful and sullen. He had kicked all the sheets off the bed, and was lying on the edge, ready to fall off the bed onto the carpeted floor. He closed his eyes and fell, bouncing slightly off the floor to land face down.

He really missed Axel, though he thought he had made the right decision. Neither was ready for this next step, not after only one day. Maybe they needed a little bit of time to think about it, some time apart. Roxas hated this thought more than any other, so even if it was what was best, Roxas was not going to listen. No damned voice in his head was going to keep him from his Axel.

A knock came at the door. Speak of the devil… well, really, think of the Axel. Roxas opened the door to reveal said redhead, who was looking quite stoic.

"Hey, Axel, good morning!" Roxas reached up to hug Axel. Axel didn't move away, but he didn't return the embrace either.

"Roxas… I've been thinking… things got a little… overexcited there yesterday… This is hard for me to say, but… I think maybe we should take a bread from this whole thing for a while." Axel looked at the ground sadly.

"…" Roxas stepped back, letting go. "But… but I thought…" he tried a tentative smile, maybe this was some sort of practical joke.

Axel just hung his head lower. "I'm sorry, Roxas…"

Roxas was really starting to give up hope. "Come on, Axel, enough joking. It's not funny. I thought that you…" A single tear ran down his face, splashing into oblivion on the floor below. "You can't mean…"

"I'm sorry, Roxas, but it's true." There was a note of finality in that tone.

"Please, Axel…?" the tears were truly flowing now, multiple amorphous globules tracing the same jagged lines, a seasonal river on Roxas' face. Roxas never cried. Not until now, anyway. "I'll do anything, I'll marry you if that's what you want, I'll look good in the dress, anything, anything at all for you!" he cried desperately.

"I'm sorry, Roxas, but I think this is for the best. Just for a short time, okay? So we can figure out our true feelings?"

"I already know my true feelings! I fucking love you!" He hadn't meant to say that, the words had just come out before he had thought things through, and now he couldn't take them back.

Axel's eyes widened briefly. "Roxas… thank you…" He took Roxas' face into his hands and kissed him softly on the lips. "Just 'til the trials over, kay?"

And then he was gone, his bright flame extinguished by the dull crush of night's blackness before the dawn came. Roxas wept silently in his room until he had nothing more to give, at which point he simply fell asleep, dreaming of happier days. If yesterday had been the best day ever, then today was surely the worst.

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Xiana: Haha! I love how it's just so funny at the beginning and all depressing at the end. By my calculations, it took me four minutes ten seconds to say all that long sentence, and 5 min, 34 sec to act out the whole thing. Crazy! But if you actually read that whole thing, that's pretty cool.

Next chapter: Zexion testifies. I don't like the next chapter as much. Bleah.


	20. The Tale of Sir Zexion

Xiana: Well, time for chapter 20! That's pretty cool. The alerts and stuff haven't been working and stuff. Bleah. So, I'm sorry if you missed the updates. In other news, we have over 200 reviews! Yay!

In other, other news, **Kitsune Bara**'s sister drew a pretty picture of Xemnas with his emo-y hair! Enjoy!

http:(double slash)usera(dot)imagecave(dot)com(slash)Miss(underscore)Dissaster(slash)Emo(dot)bmp(dot)jpg

Thanks to: **Shadow of Darkness 22, eureka7gal, ASKInfinity, Shiguna, Ookami Aya, darkwolfspiritflame, artspaz, Ramen Ichiraku, Kitsune Bara, fire-emblem-girl, Ms. WaFFLe, lunarxshinobi, AnimeDutchess, HitomiLoveless, TeleIce, dark sorceress of egypt, SetsuntaMew, rikuprincess, AlphaCentauri009, bluemoonalchemist ** for reviewing!

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_The Tale of Sir Zexion_

Luxord was just returning with his coffee when he heard Vexen yelling something and saw Demyx and Zexion chibified and running away. "Hey, Zexion, get back here…" He gave up when he realized they were running so fast that they couldn't hear him. He figured Zexion's ankle was pretty much completely healed by now, so it didn't matter.

He continued into the room, where Vexen was still looking around angrily, ready to complain to or about the next person who walked in. Luxord was subjected to a long rant about Demyx's and Zexion's inappropriate behavior. "And can you believe it? They didn't even apologize! They were talking about the most indecent subjects, suicide and nudity, and death, and sex, and ducks!"

"Hmm… while that is sort of hard to believe, I'll take your word for it." Luxord was learning quite quickly that the best way to stop Vexen when he was off on a random tangent was just to agree at various times when he stopped talking and wait till he was finished before tactfully changing the subject.

"And then they were talking about marriage. I mean, I expect this sort of thing from Demyx, but Zexion, I've known since I had a heart! I can't believe that an intelligent boy like him would fall in love with someone like that. I mean, you'd think he'd know better. That's the type of boy who will end up getting bored and just breaking Zexion's… heart thing," Vexen theorized, looking indignant at the whole situation.

"You're wrong." Both turned to see Zexion standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame for support. "Demyx and I may have been in the wrong there, by waking you from your much-deserved rest, but I thought you of all people would understand. Demyx isn't the kind of person who would knowingly hurt someone, and I guarantee, he won't stop loving me. Even before I understood how he felt, even when I was cruel, using any possible means to get him away from me, he still cared, he still tried, he still loved me. He never gave up, and when one shows that much determination and perseverance, I would think they would want to keep that hard-earned result for as long as possible. Vexen…" Zexion looked up at the man he almost thought of as his father with pleading eyes. "Can't you find it in your heart to agree with what's right for your child?"

Vexen laughed uncomfortably. "Well, I expect you have been around long enough to have some sort of judgment. But if it doesn't work out, expect me to say, 'I told you so.'"

"Understood. But when it does work, expect me to say, 'I told you so!'" Luxord was now taking off the bandages that bound Zexion's leg tightly as the two finished arguing and smiled at each other.

"All right, Zexion, you should be good now. Be sure to elevate it for at least an hour a day, and try to stay off of it as much as possible." Luxord finished examining the ankle, which was now only slightly swollen, and allowed Zexion to stand up.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," both men said, neither knowing who the comment was really directed at.

------------------------------

Zexion caught up with Demyx, who was waiting outside the room for him. "So, does Daddy approve of me?" Demyx asked, eyes shining with mirth.

"Yes, Demyx. You don't have to worry about him coming after you with a chainsaw anytime soon."

"Yay! That means I can love you forever and ever and ever, right?"

"Yep, sure does!" Zexion still wasn't quite sure this was what he wanted, but it would do for now. He still wouldn't say he loved Demyx, because he didn't, but at least he could say he liked him now.

"Yay!" Demyx hugged Zexion happily. "Oh, but now we have to go to that trial and yell at each other!"

"Yeah… Demyx, I just want you to know… no matter what I say about you up there, just know that it's not really true and that I really do like you." Zexion felt the need to reassure Demyx, to make sure he wasn't driven to tears again, no matter what the circumstances were. At least, he certainly didn't want it to be his fault.

"Yeah, I know! But whatever I say, it'll probably become true somewhere along the line, so, yeah…" Demyx smiled in such a way that made Zexion fear for his life… and his virginity.

"Haha, yeah, okay, going to the trial now…" Zexion walked away as Demyx followed him, plotting evil things for our poor Cloaked Schemer.

"And then we should… and also… and somewhere along the line we should definitely start thinking about…" The list continued on until they walked into the courtroom and Zexion took it upon himself to put himself into his character for the trial.

"Shut up, you psychopathic stalker," he hissed, shoving Demyx off.

"But… but I thought we had something special!" Demyx whined.

Zexion turned and was about to apologize when he noticed the smile on Demyx's face. "Right, I understand." They continued inside, ready for the trial to begin.

--------------------

Axel rushed into his room and slammed the door. He smashed his fist against the wall, breathing heavily. Why had he been such a jerk to Roxas? It wasn't Roxas' fault he couldn't handle the pressure, the as-yet-unresolved sexual tension between the two.

He shouldn't have been such a jerk. It was obvious that Roxas was already feeling down in the dumps, probably from yesterday. He should have noticed. That pleading expression appeared before him once more. It was the worst thing that could have happened.

Well, no, it wasn't. At least it showed Roxas cared. He could have told Roxas they were taking a break, and Roxas could have been calm, even happy. Now that… that would have killed Axel.

Instead, he had just killed Roxas, hadn't he? Roxas was probably crying right now, sitting on the floor alone, wishing that Axel would come back, to say it was just a cruel prank, to take him in his arms and just hold him, promising never to do anything like that for as long as either of them lived. It was taking every ounce of self-control he possessed to stop himself from running out there to Roxas right then, to say, "I love you, Roxas, never let me say something like that to you again, I love you, love you, love you."

But he couldn't. He couldn't say it. Those three words were an unbreakable mental block he was unable to overcome. There had been a few times when he had wanted to use that phrase, to be able to tell Roxas his truth of all truths, that without any reservations or qualms that he totally, unequivocally loved Roxas.

So why couldn't he just fucking say it? Roxas' words from before rose to his mind, hanging in the silence of despair before disappearing, leaving Axel more alone than ever before. "I already know my true feelings! I fucking love you!"

Everything was all Axel's fault. This sunk in like a doomed ocean liner to the bottom of the ocean, everything was his fault. Even if he had wanted to, there was no way he could point the finger of blame at anyone else. It was his fault. His fault. He was the reason Roxas was alone right now, alone and probably in tears. He was the reason any of this had occurred, it had been all him the whole time. He hadn't used that power responsibly, and look where he had ended up, alone in his room with the only person he had ever loved and would ever love completely alienated.

He slammed his fists into the wall again, grimacing when his skin split, leaving a red blemish against the otherwise spotless white walls.

It would have been so easy to just run over to Roxas' room and apologize, though for some perverse reason he couldn't do it, wouldn't allow himself to, preferring instead to suffer.

He continued to crush his hands against the wall, leaving red lines rolling down the walls and the coppery taste of blood in the air. He smashed away until his knuckles were completely raw, at which point he walked over to his bed and sat down, allowing only a single sob to punctuate the stillness.

He had fucked up. He had fucked up badly. Now all he could do was get the trial moving as fast as possible, so he could make up for his stupid mistake. If Roxas would forgive him, that is.

He rose silently and went over to his supply cabinet, taking out some gauze to wrap his joints, to staunch the bleeding that had just now begun to level off to a slim trickle. When he finished, he opened the door, striding silently down towards the room where court was just now coming to session. He passed Roxas' door, stopped, and turned around to listen at the door. Silence, maybe the slight sounds of heavier breathing that suggested that Roxas was asleep.

Against his better judgment, he ventured in, seeing Roxas lying on the bed asleep, mouth curved down into a frown, a worried expression on his face. He was still wearing his pajamas, a white t-shirt and boxers with a red and black checkerboard pattern, and his arms were drawn up around him. He looked cold, and so Axel pulled the scattered parts of the bed together and assembled them over Roxas' sleeping form.

Roxas relaxed slightly, making Axel feel slightly better. He grabbed a Post-It™ note and a pen and scribbled a note to Roxas.

_Dear Roxas:_

_I hope I haven't hurt you. It's all my fault, please, don't blame yourself. I need to think for a while, to try and figure out what I'm afraid of, and why I can't confess my love to you. I love you, Roxas, but this means nothing until I can say it to you directly. I'm going over to the trial to finish this as quickly as I can. I hope that someday you can forgive me for being a terrible, terrible person._

_With all my love,_

_Axel._

He went over to kiss Roxas goodbye. When his lips met Roxas', Roxas kissed him back, an involuntary motion brought on by sleep. This caused more guilt to afflict Axel, and he pulled back, moving away from Roxas' searching hands. He stuck the note to Roxas' forehead, smiling at the way the bright pink note accentuated the long lashes that currently covered Roxas' dreaming eyes.

He stepped away regretfully and walked out the door, stopping for one last glance at the boy he loved before walking out to the hallway, putting on a cheerful mask to hide the pain he would continue to feel until he could put this all behind him.

-----------------

Zexion had just been sworn in and was ready to start answering questions when Axel strode into the room and everyone turned to look at him. Axel took a seat next to Demyx and waved the trial on.

Marluxia started the questioning. "Zexion, I'm going to be blunt here. Do you like Demyx?"

"He would be an okay friend, I guess, but he's so clingy and completely obsessed with me that I'd have to say no. I don't really like Demyx at all, especially not like that."

"So you're saying that Demyx follows you around a lot and it bothers you?"

"I can't stand how his ghoulish little face is around every twist and turn in the road, constantly chattering away until I'm unable to speak for the mindless drivel that has poisoned my brain, driving all my intelligence to a level much lower than that of a sponge, the lowest form of multi-cellular life!"

"I'll take that as a yes. Now then, what has been your past involvement with Demyx, in the context of a romantic relationship?"

"Well, a few weeks ago," Zexion started, making something up, "Demyx came up to me and said something along the lines of, 'Hey, Zexy! I luuuuuuuuuuve you!' at which point I turned away, not having any wish to begin any relationship with him. He persisted, asking why I was going, what I was doing, and didn't I luuuuuuuuuve him too?

"He kept hanging around, and he tried to kiss me several times in a very awkward manner. I managed to avoid him for a few days, but after that he seemed to know where I'd be at all times. Even when I changed my routine to include things I never did, such as stroll around the city and eat lunch, it was like he knew where I was going before even I did; for a while I was scared even of just going to sleep!" Zexion was really putting an effort into this, acting out this tale so realistically that you could see tears in his eyes.

"Anyway…" he sniffed sadly, "I just couldn't take it anymore. He was just so persistent. I…I…I gave in. It was terrible. First he was satisfied with kisses and other displays of affection, but he wanted more and more as time went on, more than I was truly willing to give to him. But, but I just… he was so forceful… I couldn't defend myself… It was just so hard… I'm glad that something is finally going to happen… Because… I couldn't take it anymore…I was just so… Just, please, don't make me go back with him again!" he cried passionately, pleading with the jury.

"Thank you, Zexion. I'm sure they won't let this wrong stand. No further questions."

"All right, cross-examination now." Xaldin gestured for Larxene to stand, which she did with much relish.

"Now, Zexion, you claim to dislike Demyx, but you have often been seen in his presence. Can you explain this?"

"Well, as I said before, he was constantly following me, and forcing me to be around him… You may remember, I was forced to stay in his room the night we watched the movie. I don't really want to go into the details of what happened that night…" Zexion trailed off mysteriously.

"Yes, sad, I'm sure, but that doesn't explain why you've been seen with Demyx recently, even after these events have been brought to the attention of others, who would gladly protect you from Demyx. Wouldn't this seem to show that you were spending time with him for your own reasons and that you were consciously choosing to be around him recently?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly sure that anyone would help me, that anyone would understand. I didn't really think that… that anyone cared enough… After that incident, Demyx seemed to calm down, to be a little nicer to me. He seemed to be sorry for what he's done, so I decided to try and hive him a second chance. I guess I'm a nice guy like that, it might be a bad idea but I'm just too trusting.

"Please answer the question. Wouldn't this show you were spending time with him for your own reasons and were choosing to be around him?"

"From a certain point of view, I could understand it, but I'm sure that to most people it would be a resounding no."

"Very good. Now then, you say Demyx 'wanted more from you than you were truly willing to give.' Can you explain what this entails?"

"Well… do I have to?" Zexion asked, pleading with Marluxia and Xaldin.

Xaldin had a stern look on his face. "You must tell the court everything you have to tell us in regards to this case."

"Oh… okay…" Zexion blushed, truly embarrassed. He just had to make that stuff up. _'Koyama, what do I say?'_

'_Well, you have to say something quick! Otherwise, they'll never believe you. Aw, shit, I'm late for local weather on the eights!' _Koyama ran off to the hallway where the different filming rooms were located.

Zexion thought quickly. He had an excuse for his pause –shame and shyness- but it wouldn't work for long. The best he could do was to speak softly and slowly and try not to stumble too much. Wasn't this a question more suitable for Demyx, who simply reveled in this sort of thing?

"Well, as I said before, it started with just kisses. He smothered me with his affection, destroying my willpower. He started spending more and more time around me, and one day, he trapped me in his room. He started kissing me and touching me in ways I found were inappropriate. I felt so… so violated… I… I had nowhere to turn… and then… and then….He, I, he…" Zexion burst into tears. "P-please, please don't make me say any more," he hiccupped, resting his head in his hands.

"Poor dear, you've had such a tragic life. But still, you don't seem to be able to go into any details, do you? Now that is unfortunate, because I'm sure it would really help out your side if you could tell us all about these atrocities visited upon you by this cruel and violent man, Demyx," Larxene cooed. "Your story doesn't really hold up, dear, especially since I'm relatively sure that none of the rest of us noticed anything of the sort going on. Still, good effort. I'll end the questioning here." Larxene walked back to her seat.

Zexion took his place back at the desk. Marluxia had no more witnesses to call, so Xaldin adjourned court for just a few minutes so that everyone could get snacks. Yay! Snacks!

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Roxas woke up suddenly, remembering his dream. It had been a good dream, a dream about Axel. Axel had come in with a beautiful dress and said it was for Roxas. He had to put it on really quickly, Axel had said, because the wedding was in five minutes. It was a dark, indigo-blue dress that helped accentuate Roxas' eyes. He had walked up that aisle, with Demyx as the best man, Zexion as the maid of honor, and Marluxia as the flower girl. (!) Xemnas was waiting by his hand, ready to hand him off to his beautiful, darling Axel, who wore a tuxedo that was all black with a somewhat olive-green tint to it. Xaldin had performed the service, and when he had said, "You may now kiss the bride," the two had shared a kiss so loving that Roxas could still feel the heat on his lips.

He raised his hand to them now, and then continued up his face to fix some unruly locks of hair, stopping abruptly when he felt a foreign object on his forehead. He pulled it off to see that it was a note from Axel. He read it once, then twice, barely daring to focus on a certain phrase, for fear his cloudy vision had impaired his judgment to the point where he was hallucinating in an attempt to find something, anything that showed Axel didn't hate him. He read that sentence over and over until convinced of its true meaning.

'_I love you, Roxas, but this means nothing until I can say it to you directly.'_

'_I love you, Roxas.'_

'_I love you.'_

Roxas hugged the note to his chest. "My god, Axel. Oh god, I love you too. I love you." He became vaguely aware of how warm and comfortable he was, and dared to hope that Axel was there, lying beside him, keeping him warm, but quickly desisted, knowing that it wasn't true. He found he was lying on his softest pillow, with layer after layer of blankets and sheets covering him. Only Axel could be responsible. Yes, Axel was taking a break from him for a while. It didn't mean he wasn't taking care of him, looking out for him every moment of every day.

"Maybe today isn't such a bad day, after all…"

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Xiana: I hope you liked that chapter. It would have been up sooner, but the computer lab was closed because they were getting new monitors yesterday! Bleah! I didn't have time to put up a Halloween story either… sorry. Reviews are appreciated!

Next chapter: Axel tells the romantic story of Demyx and Zexion.


	21. Another Nameless Chapter

Xiana: Here is chapter 21. Alerts and stuff have been fixed, as far as I know, so now you all have no excuse for not reviewing! Haha.

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_Axel Makes Stuff Up_

Marluxia was worried. He was pretty sure that he hadn't made as good an impression as he could have hoped for, and was sure Larxene had stacked a lot of evidence against Zexion with that. He felt he had to apologize, and he did so multiple times, but it was clear that Zexion was okay, for he was quick to reassure Marluxia that everything would be fine.

"Don't worry, Mar! Everything will be fine!" Zexion claimed after Marluxia apologized again. "Demyx may have, you know, done some stuff to me, but I think I'll be fine. Really, it's just hard to say things to other people, so I probably made it sound much worse than it actually was. It'll be okay, really. Besides, you get to do cross-examination next, and it's easier to criticize people. Negativity works, so I bet we can really make an impact in the next round of questioning!" Zexion finished, hoping Marluxia would really believe him and start focusing on the task at hand, rather than dwelling on what had been and all of the things he could have done better.

"Yeah… Yeah, you're right." Marluxia perked up a bit. "I still feel bad, I mean, I know you respect me enough to let me be your lawyer, so I really do care about what happens to you, and I don't want you to get hurt. I'll try as hard as I can to win this trial for your sake –and mine," he added as an afterthought, remembering the deal he had made with Larxene.

He had a sudden thought. What if Larxene wasn't going to use the power of victory to hook up with him, but instead to torture him in some as yet unknown, but probably X-rated, way. Maybe he had the wrong idea about the whole situation. Maybe she really did hate his guts, enough to rip them out with a rusty better knife, roast them over a fire, and force-feed them to him. This mental image was enough to motivate Marluxia into a frenzy of activity, jamming his reading glasses onto his face hurriedly and scrambling through his notes, making new ones with the pen he always carried in his front pocket. No, he wasn't quite sure what he'd do with Larxene if he and Zexion won. But surely anything was better than the alternative.

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Axel had foregone his snack break in order to check up on Roxas. Hearing nothing, he was about to go back in (which he told himself didn't count as breaking the rules of the seperation) when he heard Roxas say, "My god, Axel. Oh god, I love you too. I love you." He shoved himself up against the wall, pressing a hand to his chest, fearful of discovery, but entirely blissful from the words he had heard. Roxas loved him. Roxas loved him! He wasn't angry! Axel had believed that he had been so irrevocably cruel that he could never be forgiven, but now, now that Roxas had read the note, he understood, right?

Muffled speech again came from Roxas' room, the Room of Destiny. Axel wasn't entirely sure why Xemnas had chosen to name the rooms after everyone's nicknames. Some worked (like Roxas' and Axel's, the Room of Destiny and the Room of Dancing Flames), some were somewhat questionable (Demyx's the Melodious Room, Vexen's the Chilly Room), and then some didn't make any sense at all. Like Marluxia's. The Graceful Room. How could a room be graceful? Was it an accomplished ballet dancer? Zexion's was questionable as well. The Cloaked Room? Better than the Room Schemer. And then there was Xigbar's. The Freeshooter's. People either called it the Free Room (which gave the impression that it was vacant, leading to some interesting misunderstandings) or 'The Room.' Just 'The Room.' It was the same with Xemnas. They both had 'The Room' until Xemnas had changed his after some more awkward situations at dinner when Xemnas and Xigbar had both stood at the same time and said they were going to bed in 'The Room.' The usual rumors spread, and after one misplaced comment by Demyx, Xemnas had changed his to 'The Room of Darkness Æternal and Everlasting in its Power and Beauty' angrily.

But now, the doorknob of Roxas' room rattled noisily, and its owner came out, dressed in a black shirt with red, jagged letters reading **taROT 640 **across the front and a pair of tan shorts with huge pockets on either side. He wore casual sandals on his feet, and had on a silver bracelet that matched a ring and necklace he had also adorned himself with. The ring was set with a blue stone and had a swirling metal design that resembled an ocean wave. The bracelet had a clasp that featured two of the stones, complete with the pattern curving in the fashion of a yin-yang symbol, and the necklace was a pendant with a huge blue gem dangling from a silver chain.

Axel noticed all this in the seconds before he shrank against the wall as Roxas passed. Of course he knew what everything looked like. The shirt had been from a concert they had gone to with Demyx, Larxene, Lexaeus, and Marluxia; those shorts were Roxas' absolute favorite pair; and the jewelry had actually been a present from Axel. Axel had given the set to him as a reward for surviving the first month of training.

The first week had been simply orientation, getting Roxas used to the rules of the castle and some basic weapons training. The next few weeks, however, had been endless, agonizing torture for both of them, for after the first month, every new recruit was sent into the darkest part of the city to spend the night there. If he or she returned alive the next morning, they could be officially initiated into the Organization as a true member. They had trained all day and all night, occasionally pausing only to gulp some energy drinks or to take an hour-long break to keep their bodies functioning. It was during that time that Axel had first started to see Roxas as a friend, rather than some nameless and faceless recruit, one who couldn't handle the pressure for more than a few days and was soon to be denoted back down to a lowly dusk.

Roxas was different. Not only was he strong, and able to hold his own against Axel from about Day 3, but he had a personality that attracted attention. Whenever Axel seemed about to call it a day, Roxas was always ready to jump up and continue training. By the time the end of the month came, Axel would have been willing to bet –against Luxord even- that Roxas could have defeated Xaldin, widely known as one of the three strongest members of the Organization.

Still, Axel had been worried about his lovable, precious protégée, and had tried to motivate Roxas to succeed. Something along the lines of, " Roxy, if you live, I will buy you something pretty and expensive. And sparkly. Very sparkly." "Well, Axel, I am motivated now! I will surely return to retrieve my most excellent and well deserved reward!"

Roxas had returned, and, true to his word, Axel had delivered the set to Roxas the next morning. Roxas had been thrilled, and it was worth every yellow and blue diamond of munny Axel had handed over to that jewelry salesman to see the look of joy on Roxas' face. Those were good memories, especially the part where Roxas had jumped on Axel out of sheer happiness, squeezing him with as much affection as could be put into such a gesture from such a gift.

Axel realized belatedly that Roxas was not heading towards the courtroom at all, and was in fact going in the opposite direction. Axel looked out and followed him slowly, always being careful to stay out of Roxas' line of vision. Where could he be going? He wanted to keep following Roxas, but a bell from somewhere rang and Xaldin came over the castle's PA system. "Attention, the court break is now over. We will now hear testimony from Axel and Demyx."

Axel sighed, turning regretfully back to the courtroom. He never looked back, but if he had, he would have seen Roxas looking back at him with a passion in his eyes that rivaled that of even their most intense make-out session. For Roxas finally knew. Axel loved him. And Roxas had the perfect plan to make sure Axel could find the words he needed to say.

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Axel took his seat in the courtroom, barely caring about the oath. "Yeah, yeah, I'll tell the truth and all that." He raised his hand in a mocking version of the proper gesture required. "Can we just get through this?" he asked in a bored tone, wishing this would end already so that he could figure out where Roxas had gone, and so he could just see Roxas again, period. He would sit through 48 straight hours of legal proceedings to get his Roxie back at his side, but anything he could do to shrink that amount of time down would be wonderful.

Xigbar lugged the dictionary (432nd edition) back to his post by the side door. Unfortunately, it was extremely heavy, and the strain was too much for his back. He dropped the book on his foot and screamed out various insults at the book and its mother, which shall be omitted here.

Eventually, his string of curses trailed off and stopped. He complained, "Why do we have to use this? It's not sacred or anything!"

"And that is where you are wrong, fool!" Xemnas spoke up from the jury section. "That book has both great psychological and spiritual value for me!"

"Don't insult me, or you may find yourself off the jury and in the audience with the common Nobodies!" Xigbar asked, going red in the face. Several of the more refined Assassins and Gamblers walked out, insulted.

"You think you can do that to me, your Superior?" Xemnas yelled arrogantly back.

"Why-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP BOTH OF YOU!" Axel screamed at them. "Now, we're doing this trial now, understand? Yell about it all you want on somebody else's time!"

They cowered briefly before Axel's rage (he literally did have flames in his eyes) and Xaldin took the opportunity to announce, "Larxene calls her first witness, Axel, to the stand."

Larxene stood. "All right, Axel. The first question is, what did you know about Demyx and Zexion's relationships, romantic or otherwise, prior to this incident?"

"Well you know, I always thought they were just friends, and not even very close ones at that. More of a colleagues thing going on. I sure don't think that now, not after the display I saw." Wink wink, nudge nudge. Larxene sure had chosen the right witness for her side.

"So you think that they are involved romantically in one form or another?"

"Lady, when two boys are on top of each other kissing like that, it's pretty obvious something's going on," Axel drawled.

"Do you think Demyx initiated it, or was it perhaps Zexion?"

"Well, I think it was Demyx who actually made the first move, but it could have been that they both liked the other and Demyx was the first to actually act on his feelings."

"So you think both were… in love with each other?"

"Just gonna say… Zexy is the prosecutor, but he was also the one on top."

"I see. So, what do you think happened in the closet?"

"I think it went something like this," Axel began narrating a story of some sort.

"_Demyx gasped. His true love had finally come to him. He gasped again as Zexion stole a kiss quickly. 'We've got to stop meeting like this…' Zexion whispered jokingly, lightly stroking Zexion's cheek._

'I… I thought you wouldn't come…' Demyx looked down, refusing to meet the eyes of his secret lover.

'_Of course I came. Demyx, I love you.' Zexion took Demyx's hands in his own gently. He kissed Demyx slowly, sweetly, passionately, making Demyx fall under the spell of his enchanting eyes, mouth, touch._

_Demyx pulled his hands away and used them to cup Zexion's face closer to his own, parting his lips slightly so that Zexion's tongue was able to slip in and start tickling around Demyx's mouth, exploring the moist surface by touch and taste alone._

_Demyx leaned back happily, enjoying how his life had certainly taken a turn for the best. 'Zexion, when can we stop hiding this? When can we come to the world, hold our heads up high, and tell them we're in love?' he asked languidly, pushing his luck._

_Zexion backed up in alarm. 'I'm not strong enough. You're so open about these sorts of things, love, but I don't know how to handle that.'_

'_Oh, darling, I'll teach you how to be brave. I'll show you,' Demyx promised, tracing light circles on Zexion's chest._

_Zexion's only response was to kiss Demyx again, harder this time. Unfortunately, Demyx was not prepared, and stumbled back, landing awkwardly on the floor outside as the amazingly amazing and beautifully… beautiful Axel and his bestest friend Roxas, who was also amazingly amazing and beautifully beautiful, and Larxene as well, watched._

_Everyone gasped, and Zexion ran to his room, completely embarrassed. He wouldn't let Demyx in, even when Demyx begged for forgiveness. Demyx, however, had a plan. Late that night, he snuck into the inner courtyard, and played a love song to Zexion, standing beneath his balcony._

_Zexion woke at the first notes, ever alert. He walked out to his balcony, dragging on his silken robe for comfort in the cold night air. He stood silently until Demyx was done, a few teardrops falling onto the earth below, where Demyx had poured his soul into a song all for Zexion. He was weeping silently, and when he looked down at Demyx, all he knew was that he loved this boy more than anything else in the world. He called out, 'Demyx, Demyx, come up here, please!'_

_Demyx was all too happy to comply. He swung his sitar onto his back and clamored up the rose trellis that was situated between Zexion's and Marluxia's balconies. He swung himself over the railing with a flourish and landed in Zexion's arms. 'Oh, Demyx, I'm so sorry!' Zexion cried, burying his face in Demyx's chest disconsolately. 'I should have stood by you, I should have understood that it doesn't matter how anyone else feels, no, we only need each other.' He pulled Demyx into his room, removing his robe to reveal that he slept in the nude._

_Demyx started to say something, but stopped as Zexion pleaded, 'Take me, take me now! Make passionate love to me, or else I shall die, die from lacking you.'_

_Demyx was unprepared for such a reaction, yet reacted quickly. He threw off his clothes hurriedly and lay atop Zexion growing more excited by the moment. Then, both agonizing pain and boundless ecstasy in one single, joyous moment as they became one. They shivered against each other, pressing together both for warmth and out of necessity, a necessity to take the other and be them, an extreme closeness where the one only wanted to devour the other, to stop both the pain and the fearful longing that they knew each would feel the next day._

_And then, it was over, that instant of need and want conquered, and they settled down, now content to lie next to each other with the knowledge that they had possessed each other, comfortable in the knowledge that they would continue to. Zexion pulled the sheets up, and they drifted into a dreamless sleep._

_The next morning, first Zexion, then Demyx, woke to a commotion outside. It seemed Demyx had been scheduled for a mission that morning and hadn't been seen in his room or anywhere else in the castle. The gorgeous Axel and his equally gorgeous sidekick Roxas had led the intrepid band to Zexion's room. Zexion and Demyx stood tall, hand-in-hand, and ready to face the world together. After they put some clothes on, of course."_ Axel finishedhis story, and everyone applauded, including a reluctant Zexion, who convinced himself that it was only because he enjoyed Axel's imagery and creative word choice.

Awwwww, who was he kidding? He was really starting to think that he liked Demyx. Like, liked-Demyx liked Demyx.

Axel was getting back to the questioning. "Yeah, that was a little bit after just what happened in the closet, but it was just so exciting that I had to tell the whole story!"

Larxene had been thrown slightly off guard form Axel's story, and had lost track of what she was going to ask. "Uh, um, yes. The next question is, uh… Do you approve of this relationship?"

"Yep! I'm with it all the way!" Axel gave a thumbs-up sign to Breeze, who responded with a satisfied smile before throwing a shuriken at a Sniper in Row 5, Section G, fifteenth from the right, who just had not learned that this was no place for a homophobe like him, as was shown by the other shuriken, kunai knives, and other pointy objects currently sticking out of his body.

"Do you think Zexion really hates Demyx, and does he have a strong point in his arguments?"

"Yeah, I don't really think that anyone could hate Demyx. I mean, look at him!" Axel gestured over to where Demyx was sitting with a cute, wide-eyed smile. "And Zexion has a bit of a point, but for the most part, I think he's just complaining about not being the seme."

"Thank you, no further questioning will be required." Larxene strode back to the table; thankful she had gotten such a cooperative witness.

Marluxia started immediately. "Your story is almost completely false, isn't it?"

"Why yes, yes it is. It is almost a complete fabrication based only loosely on actual events. But hey, that never stopped Hollywood, did it?"

"So then, Zexion could, in fact, have been completely unwilling and resistant to such a nocturnal visit by Demyx?"

"If such a thing happened, it is, in fact, possible."

"Well then, why do you persist in being true to the belief that Zexion is always in the wrong and Demyx is in the right?" Seeing Axel hesitate, Marluxia drove the point home. "Could it be that you're simply sticking up for your friend, regardless of the truth?"

"No… I…." Axel attempted to disclaim while really thinking it over. It was true, he hadn't thought much about Zexion's point of view at all. But he really thought the two would be good for each other, and that Zexion just needed to give Demyx a chance. "I still hold my opinion, and maintain that it is independent of partisanship!"

"Hmm, I expected as much. I had nothing more than the slight hope you would be able to put your personal feelings aside in this instance to do what is right. No further questions." Marluxia turned to leave, apparently very disappointed in Axel's true character.

Axel simply got out of the chair and sat yawningly back at Larxene's table. "Your turn now, Dem."

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Xiana: Well, that was an intense chapter! Let it be known that Axel's story did not actually occur, and that he was making the whole thing up! Not yet it didn't happen anyway…Hey! I want someone to draw a picture of pretty Roxas! Why? Because! If you want to, please send it to me sometime! Maybe I'll even write something for you... if you want, that is...

Next chapter: Is all about Roxas! Yay! Completely random stuff, and blind people bashing! No, Roxas bashing. Yay!


	22. Roxas Goes Shopping

Xiana: Chapter 22! Yep, I like this chapter most definitely. Like, just because of the end it is now, like, my favorite. I'm such a loser, giggling over it every time I read it… So I guess… I hope you find it funny too. (bows)

Just a note: Madame LeRouge speaks with the same sort of accent as Tia Dalma from Pirates of the Caribbean 2.

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Roxas Goes Shopping and Battles the Blind 

Roxas walked down the main road of the little town of Nowheresburg, conveniently located right by the castle and most nearby hotels for your convenience, pausing every once in a while to glance in a store window.

It was a quaint little town, just beginning to show signs of modernization. There was no coffee chain, just a quiet little shop on the other end of town that provided for the residents. Only a single McMickey's was visible, and the only other chain in town was The Store. The rest was made up of small boutiques and tiny little gift shops. It was a town often overlooked by tourists in a hurry to get to the city. Roxas liked it better here, though.

It was a spontaneous, lively village, one where everyone knew each other and shouted greetings to each other when stopped at the town's one stoplight. Roxas knew many of the people he passed. This was where he'd find what he needed.

A man in the back room dusted off his hands on his apron and came forward. When he saw who it was that had entered his humble establishment, he ran forward, warmly grasping Roxas' hand in his own. "Hey! Roxas, my good man! What brings you to my fine bakery this morning?"

Roxas smiled. "Actually, Kyouha, I was wondering if I could make something here. Your bakery is, after all, the place where I learned, and you always have the freshest ingredients here…"

"Go ahead, Roxas. You don't have to 'butter' me up!" Kyouha laughed.

"Ah, baking humor. The one thing I don't miss at all."

"That reminds me, do you know why the chef was so cruel?"

"Because he beat the eggs and whipped the cream. Kyouha, couldn't you have come up with something new in the eight months since I've seen you?" Not waiting for an answer, he walked back to the heat-filled oven room, where he grabbed an extra apron from a rack and set about gathering flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and other ingredients.

"Hey, it's hard coming up with these jokes! What are you makin, anyway?"

"Well, I'm… making a cake."

"Mmmm, yummy! What kind of cake?"

"A… vanilla cake."

"And… what's it going to be used for?"

"I…I…I'm getting married, okay!" Roxas yelled, face turning red.

"Oooh! Roxy's getting married! Who's the lucky girl? Is it that Larxene chick? No offense, Roxy, but you can do better," Kyouha teased.

"Well… actually, it's my best friend Axel. Remember him?"

"That red head that ate all the brownies? Hard to forget… Wait… you mean…"

"Um… I really do love him, and he loves me. Is there something wrong with that?" Roxas asked confusedly.

"No, I just always thought of you as… straight. It's fine with me, though, I guess…" Kyouha looked away.

"Yeah, so I'm getting all this stuff together because I'm going to propose. I hope he says yes…" Roxas looked cute and hopeful.

"Okay. I hope it works out for you. You want me to bake it and make it all nice and pretty?"

"Yeah, would you? Could you bring it by tomorrow? I can keep it in the fridge there."

"Okay. What are you going to do next?"

"I gotta go get my dress, don't I?"

"Wow, you really are serious about this, aren't you?"

"Yep, I really do love him." Roxas finished mixing the ingredients and poured the cake batter into a pan. "Can you take care of this for me, Kyouha? Thanks." Roxas cleaned up and left, leaving Kyouha to finish the cake.

"What a weird kid…"

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Now Roxas went to a shop called Madame LeRouge's Gowns and Formalwear. When he opened the door, a cat meowed somewhere in the distance, and Roxas jumped slightly. He passed though a clouded and dingy hallway before shoving aside a beaded curtain to find himself in an old, Gothic parlor. The furniture was covered with old sheets, and there were dresses of all black hanging on the walls, a single swinging light bulb casting a dim glow on the ebony gowns, revealing hidden patterns reminiscent of spider webs and dripping blood. A disembodied hand settled itself around Roxas' neck, and it was all he could do to keep from jumping back in terror.

"What brings you to my… establishment, my child?" asked a silky voice from the shadows. A woman stepped into the fluctuating light, pressing against Roxas.

Roxas took a step back and cleared his throat. "Um… I'm looking for a dress. Something that would be appropriate for a wedding."

"Ah, yes, I see." The woman smiled a twisted grimace that revealed more blank space and shiny gold than actual teeth. The purple turban she wore on her head bobbed slightly as she appraised Roxas critically. "Looking to get married, child? Well, you come to de right place. Have a sit, and I'll see what I can find for you." She bustled off into another room, leaving Roxas to take a seat awkwardly on the edge of a covered sofa. A black cat appeared from the shadows, rubbing against Roxas' leg before retuning into the darkness from whence it came.

Madame LeRouge retuned, carrying with her several black heaps of fabric. She pulled out the first dress, black as coal with no straps at all, so short it went only barely down to Roxas' knees. "You go in dere an' change, come back out so's I can see, aight?"

Roxas took the dress silently and walked over to the room, the interior of which looked like any Wal-Mart changing room. He stripped his clothes off self-consciously and looked at the dress. What, exactly, had made him think this was a good idea? Ah. Right. He loved Axel. That's the one. He unzipped the dress and stepped into it gingerly. He pulled it up awkwardly and rezipped it. It was an awkward feeling, without the long, tight pants he was used to on. It was tight up top, but just enough so that it stayed up. It was surprising that Madame LeRouge had known his size, but perhaps more surprising that he actually looked good. It wasn't that he was expecting to look _bad, _but he was of the male gender, and as such didn't exactly… have anything up there. Instead, there was only a bit of padding sewn into the dress to give the slight impression of a bosom. It was very awkward, Roxas thought.

He folded his clothes neatly and put them off to the side before returning to the dark and decrepit shop where Madame LeRouge was waiting. Her cracked old lips spread into a wide smile. "Yes, dat one fit right. My grandmamma always tell me, be sho'n figure out what a customer size is 'fore giving dem any advice. Sho'nuff, I chose right size for you, boy." She cackled gleefully and circled Roxas in the manner of a predatory shark. As she proceeded to prod at various parts of the dress, pulling and pinching, she poked Roxas' shoulder. "So, you goan tell a kin' ol' woman about dis odda boy you goan get married to?"

"Uh… sure. His name's Axel. He has sort of spiky-ish red hair, it goes a bit past shoulder length. He's about a head taller than me. He's pretty thin, but also really soft and warm. His hands are bigger than mine… but they're really protective. And his teeth are kinda pointy, but he's not stabbity or anything. He has the most brightest, most brilliantest green eyes you'll ever see, and he's always smiling…" Roxas trailed off to see Madame LeRouge frowning unexpectedly.

"Well, wid a special boy like dat, you goan' need something more beautiful den dis old t'ing." Roxas was about to protest, saying this would be fine, but she held up her hands. "No, no, boy. I t'ink something along dese lines would be more… suitable for you and Axel." She dove into the pile of dresses and pulled out a second one for Roxas to try on. This one had long, dark sleeves and a slit way up the left side. The dress was slightly Oriental in design, with sort of a square bottom to the skirt part, which ended mid-shin, and a high collar.

It took Roxas a few more minutes to get into this one. It buttoned in the back, and while Roxas was able to get the bottom five or so, he eventually had to give up and ask Madame to help him. From the incomplete results he had seen in the mirror, he liked this one better so far. It suited his style more, and the Asian influence helped his eyes appear wider and… bluer was the only way he could think to describe it.

Madame LeRouge had other ideas, though. "Dis is better. Still, I t'ink maybe I have one more in de back that would be perfect for you. You wait here, I be back soon." She patted Roxas on the shoulder and shuffled off into the back room again.

This time, she brought out a full-length gown. It had short sleeves and a progression of ruffled layers spreading out from the bodice. Madame LeRouge helped Roxas step into it and laced the corset-like back up tight, so much so that Roxas gasped as the air was forced out of his lungs. "Mmm… Yes, dis is de one. You are goan' be de most beautiful bride dat boy is ever goan' lay eyes on, 'specially if he love you as much as you love him. Come now, you need just a bit more if you goan' be perfect." She led him down the first hallway he had come through and through a side door into a well-lit and thoroughly modern room filled with accessories of all kinds.

Now that he was in the light, which was very bright in comparison to the last room, Roxas could see that his dress had more of a blue tint to it, slightly less than pure black. Madame brought first a pair of black shoes, in the style of simple ballet slippers ("You goan' want to be comf'able wid all de dancing you're goan' have to do."). Next, she brought up a pretty black veil, made of finely woven lace.

"Who made this?" Roxas asked suddenly. "It's very beautiful."

"Why, I did, child." Madame LeRouge smiled again. "I'm flattered dat you t'ink so. I made every stitch of clot'ing in dis house, and you goan' be my best creation yet." She brought a pair of gloves out, blue satin gloves covered in more ornate lacework, now delicate patterns of roses and cherry blossoms. Roxas slipped them on, admiring how every gesture he made with them suddenly took on much more meaning, Finally, Madame LeRouge brought out a long, elegant black train to attach to the back of the dress. She took Roxas by the hand and pulled him gently to a pedestal surrounded by three mirrors at different angles so that Roxas was able to see himself.

He clasped the old woman's hands fervently in his own. "Thank you so much, Madame. May I enquire as to the price?"

"For you, my child, it is free. On t'ree conditions."

"Yes? What are they?" Roxas asked, excited.

"First, you will have to pay de shipping charges. I just can't cover dat. Second, whoever catches de bouquet, you recommend them to me, understand? And finally… you have to make dat boy, dis Axel, look at you when you walk up de aisle and t'ink to 'imself, 'I am de luckiest boy on dis planet.'"

"Right!" Roxas smiled. "Thank you so much!"

"Yeah, yeah, just be sure I get invited to de wedding, understand?" Madame LeRouge said gruffly, walking away after loosening Roxas' stays so that he could get out of the dress on his own.

Roxas changed back to his street clothes happily. He was getting all this for free, except for shipping charges. Now, he had only one more thing to do before he could call the day a success. It was time to head back to the city.

-----------------------------

Roxas wrapped his arms around himself tightly. The subway was packed full from the afternoon commute, and he was squished between a tall man with a huge briefcase, which he kept smashing into Roxas' knee, and a lady who looked like she lived on Aisle 25, cat food. If this guy whacked him _one_ more time, not only was he going to collapse from the pain, but he was going to scream. Actually, he was quite looking forward to it. The screaming, not the collapsing to the ground in pain. He was so ready. He was prepared. And then… the train stopped, and everyone got off except for Roxas.

Roxas fell over pathetically. And was subsequently trod upon when everyone got on from the other side. He stood up angrily and turned on all the people. "What the hell is your problem? Couldn't you see that I was on the ground?"

There was complete silence for a moment before a child started crying. "Mommy, this guy is mean! He… Doesn't he know we're all blind?"

Roxas realized belatedly that there was a large banner being carried by two of the people in the back which read, "The City of Forgotten Life Welcomes the Blinds Family!"

"The Blinds family is all blind? How ironic!" Roxas mentioned to himself.

"Excuse me," a woman with milky-white eyes stepped up, "but we pronounce it Blihn-dez!" She slapped Roxas across the face, but because she was blind, she missed and whacked him in the knee somehow. Roxas moaned and fell over.

'_Now, this is the part in a really strange romantic comedy where Axel would burst in through the window and fight off the entire Blihn-dez family with one hand before sweeping me into a warm embrace, and a cheesy romantic song would play in the background as we made up… and made out. Or this could somehow turn into a martial arts story, and I'd use my fists of fury to defeat these ninjas of blindness form the clan hired by a rich yet cowardly businessman who wants to kill me for reasons not fully explained until the last 15 minutes, by which point no one cares!' _Roxas thought to himself.

Unfortunately, he had not counted on this being a comedic romance, because it was. (This is different from a romantic comedy, for reasons not yet fully explained.) And it was thus that a recorded voice came over the intercom announcing the next stop, whereupon the Blinds family walked out through the doors, stomping on Roxas and bashing him with their blindness canes.

Fortunately, no one else got on and Roxas was able to get up slowly, dusting himself off and moaning from the pain. He was able to slump down in a seat for the next three stops, for, as the sole remaining occupant of this car informed him, "Nobody rides the subway at this time of day."There were so many things wrong with this sentence that Roxas didn't even know where to begin. He usually wasn't one to argue semantics, but he was pissed off. Getting beaten by blind people twice in the span of 15 minutes will do that to you.

First off, that just wasn't proper grammar. She could have more accurately said, "A Nobody rides the subway at this time of day," or "A Nobody is riding the subway now," or even, "You are riding the subway." Everyone, even that paperclip in Microsoft Word™, knew that articles had to agree. Articles were the key! Article power! Come on, what she had said had been as complete as, "Fish jumps in water," "Paper towel is flat and absorbent," or "Carpet." It simply wasn't a finished thought. There was always an article, unless she was talking about a proper name, as in the sentence, "Axel was soft and warm and sweet and adorable and wonderful and Roxas' reason for existence, and shiny; and Roxas loved him enough to spend a day baking cakes and dressing up pretty and sparkly and descriptive and going to a scary store so he could be a cross-dresser and get a black wedding dress and get stuck in traffic on public transportation and beaten up by blind people and stomped on by blind people and then spoken to by a person who clearly didn't understand modern language well enough to say a complete sentence in a conversation with a random stranger." Now that's a complete sentence, bitch.

What next? Ah. Had this woman not seen the packed car, with the tall briefcase man who had pummeled Roxas' knee into a bloody pulp? Those Blinds people could be written off as a mere coincidence, a once-in-a-lifetime event that had gone horribly, horribly wrong. For Roxas, anyway. But tons of people had been riding the subway not five minutes ago. Everyone who lived in the inner city and then some. Only tourists actually drive. But then if the case was that they were all Nobodies –which they weren't- that sentence would have read, "Nobodies ride the subway at this time of day." And that was still not correct be cause she herself was not a Nobody, and so she would have to say, "Nobodies and one normal person, that person being myself, ride the subway at this time of day." But then, none of the other passengers had been Nobodies, and so the sentence should really read, "Many people and one Nobody, that Nobody being the amazingly amazing and beautifully… beautiful Roxas, who is here on a mission of love, ride the subway at this time of day." But no, she had to be lazy, and incorrect, and thus she was wrong. And thus, he had been forced to waste several minutes of his life trying to find words to explain this to himself so that he could find a way to explain to her just why she was wrong and a complete idiot at the same time and in as few words as possible.

The train stopped. Roxas got off.

------------------------------

Roxas walked into the cheerily lit store. A smiling man in a sharp suit came forward. "Well, hello, sir! What can I help you with on this fine evening?"

"Um, I'm just browsing right now, but I think…. I think I know exactly what I want," Roxas said, catching sight of a glittering gem.

"Well then, how would you like that one set?" asked the overly-cheerful man after Roxas had pointed out the ruby he wanted.

"I… want it in a ring. I'm going to propose, you see." It was getting easier to say each time he had to.

"Oooh, well, any lady would surely love a ring like this! You sure you don't need any matching earrings to sort of, sweeten the deal?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Roxas said firmly, not bothering to correct him. The ever-present smile on the salesman's face faded briefly, but returned swiftly.

"We'll have this out for you in 15 minutes, so please enjoy the soothing music which has no subliminal messages whatsoever!"

"Okay!" Roxas said excitedly. He started wandering around, enjoying the music and the SHINY stuffs all around. He thought Axel would like those earrings that that guy was talking about, but… Axel's ears weren't pierced. The non-subliminal music wasn't working.

Soon the man returned, with the ruby set deeply into a gold band. "Now, what kind of payment plan would you like to follow?"

Roxas wordlessly handed over the exact amount of munny. The man took it greedily and placed the ring into a velvet-covered jewelry box, handing it over. Roxas left the store. His shopping was complete for today. Rather than repeat that hellish subway trip, he chose instead to walk home, the cool night air blowing on his face. Everything was ready. There was no possible way anything could go wrong. He could hand-deliver invitations on his skateboard, he could use the castle for a chapel type place, and he could write up a list of appropriate gifts or just forego that all together. After all, it wasn't as if they'd be moving out, to their own house. Roxas had always wanted a seaside cottage with a mountain view, but that could wait.

There was no possible way anything could go wrong. Still, even the best laid plans of mice and men sometimes go awry.

-----------------------

Xiana: Oh. Foreshadowing. Yeah. So, I hope you liked this chapter. I drew a picture of Roxy! I will put it up next chapter, I guess.

Next: Demyx testifies.


	23. The Testification of Demyx

Xiana: Well, here is chapter 23. It took a while because I didn't work on it at all this weekend. Too busy partying! Cuz my b-day was Saturday! So I'm 16 now! w00t! And I got a DS so…. I may be slightly distracted. Magical Starsign!

I really don't like this chapter, btw.

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_Demyx Testifies, and other random stuff happens._

It was Demyx's turn to testify. Larxene smirked. This… would be interesting. She doubted it would be true, but it might be entertaining. Everyone was on her side, right? For the most part, anyway. She was sure she held the advantage. She stepped up ready to ask questions.

First, of course, Demyx had to be sworn in. Much to Xemnas' confusion and anger, the dictionary had been replaced by Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (Manga volume 1). Everyone else agreed that it was a much holier book. Demyx swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothin' but the truth so help me Tetsuya Nomura, and the final questioning got underway.

"Demyx, would you say that you love Zexion?"

"Yep! I luuuuuuuuuve him!"

"And would you also say he loved you back?"

"Well, I thought so… I mean, all the evidence showed he did, up until now, so I thought…"

"Is there any reason why Zexion might have been so eager in the beginning when the relationship has now atrophied to the point of near non-existence?" Larxene prompted gently.

"Well, I guess he just didn't know what he was getting into. Things started getting real heavy, real quick, between us, mostly because it seemed to me that that's what he wanted. When I realized he felt differently, I tried to back off, but it would seem the damage had already been done. I thought he loved me, but I guess I was just deluding myself all along," Demyx said sadly, wiping a tear from his eye.

"I see. Now then…" Larxene paused, dreading the next question she would ask, knowing that she was asking Demyx. "… What, exactly, did you two do together? Roxas wasn't asked, Axel just made something up, and Zexion completely avoided the question. Now it is your turn, Demyx, to tell us the truth."

"Well," Demyx began, relaxing into a more comfortable position for the long tale he was about to tell, "as Zexion said earlier, it started with kissing. Actually, the way it started was kind of funny. I was running down the hallway and Zexion came along and knocked me over when he ran into me. He landed on top of me and I guess somehow his lips landed right on mine. As you can imagine, it was a very awkward first kiss," Demyx teased, blowing a kiss jokingly to the members of the jury.

"So anyway, from what I knew of Zexion, I thought for sure he'd get up, apologize, and run back to his room in shame. Much to my surprise, he didn't get up, and instead started, like, really kissing me. I didn't do anything for a second, being quite stunned, but I had had a little crush on Zexion for a while now, and I was quickly returning his affection. We eventually heard some footsteps coming, so Zexion took me back to his room.

"Nothing _improper_ happened… well, not that night anyway. We stayed up for a long time that night, mostly just talking, though there was a fair bit of snogging going on. We fell asleep in there, just kinda drifting off at the time we reached a comfortable silence. I remember waking up that morning with my head on Zexion's chest, the sweetest pillow it has ever been my great fortune to lay upon.

"The next day, we didn't really do much, we were just sort of too shy and embarrassed to bring anything up in front of the others. That night, though, we were in my room because Zexion had never slept on a water bed before, and he was always too shy to ask me, I guess, and he said, 'You know, I really like you, Demyx.' I responded, 'I love you, Zexion.' Then we started talking about how Xemnas doesn't believe we have feelings or hearts, and how Zexion wasn't sure about love. He said something along the lines of, 'Will you teach me how to love then?' and my response, of course, was what I'm sure any of you would say if a pretty emo boy offered himself to you. I told him of course I would teach him.

"I gently took off his shirt and mine, and was about to start on our pants when he sort of backed away a bit. I guess I realized then that he was worried, so I backed off, and instead of us just having sex, I taught him how to give a good hand job. He was a real natural, and the next day, we had moved on to blow jobs. That day, ladies and gentlemen, had to be one of the unequivocal best days of my non-existence, because I tell you, that kid…" Demyx grinned cheekily at Zexion. "I guess he hates me now, but that week we spent together, cheerful in each other's company, makes it all worth it, even if you lock me away or kill me for my sins or whatever.

"Anyway, we moved on into full-on citrus action the next day. And yet, for some reason, I was always on the bottom. It wasn't that I minded much, for that penetrating pain was rapture in its own way, and even when I would cry out, Zexion, not missing a beat, would pull back and kiss me so softly, so sweetly, that there was never any doubt in my mind that he loved me. Yet, he was always the one invading me, consuming me with a pleasure so immense that I had no greater wish than to share with him this sensual feeling, to help him be rewarded by just what it was that he was rewarding me with every time we leapt into bed together in a frenzied, half-mad passion for each other.

"It was when he came into Axel's closet that I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted him to understand why it was I loved him so, why I was so eager to spend time with him in the hopes we could find a spare moment to divest and once again consummate this relationship we had so much faith in. I do apologize, Axel, for losing control of my emotions like that, in what must have been an awkward situation for you and Roxas, but I will not apologize to Zexion for wanting to help him find love in its most pure and heavenly form. Yes, I took Zexion and overstepped the boundaries of propriety, but I would do it all over again, just to have the joy of that moment!" Demyx stood, fist raised in there, daring anyone to challenge him.

"Anyway, Zexion got me off eventually, and pushed me up against a wall. 'What the hell did you do that for?' he yelled, and my only reply could be, 'Because I love you, Zexion.' At this, he softened a bit, saying, 'I understand. It was just so sudden and so painful I…' He stopped at that point and kissed me, more fully and intensely than ever before, which, let me tell you now, is a pretty hard thing to do. Somehow (he had shoved me into a corner before) he got me turned around so that I leaned backwards as Zexion pressed forward, and we fell through the unlocked door to the carpet outside where Axel, Larxene, and Roxas were. It was then that my Zexion truly left me for good," Demyx continued very sadly, reclaiming his seat.

"It seemed he was so ashamed by having our secret romance on public display that he felt the best thing to do was simply to ostracize me, his lover, who had been with him through the best and the worst of times, so as not to lose face with the others. I was hurt, true, for I thought he loved and respected me above all others, but as I know now, I was just a very new part of his life, and one that could be easily forgotten. I still don't blame Zexion, even now, for I know he had a tough decision to make, one that is made no easier by my revelation of our secrets that we shared in utmost confidence. Still, I hope that Zexion can find it in his heart to forgive me, and to someday find the love for me that he needs in order to once again make me a part of his life." Demyx finished his story, and it was literally that Zexion had to did his fingernails into his palms, wrap his legs around each other as tight as they could go, and squeeze to stop himself from running out onto the courtroom floor and hold onto Demyx so tightly tat he would never let him go for as long as either of the two lived.

But he restrained himself, and the trial continued. Larxene asked, "What possible reason would Zexion have for abandoning you in such a manner?"

"I… I guess he just wasn't comfortable being with me anymore, after our secret came out for the world to see. I don't understand why, but I suppose it makes sense to him. You know, I don't understand how he can be so loving and possessive one moment, yet cruelly cast me out the next. I … just don't understand."

"I'm sorry Demyx. I know it must be hard for you to sit here and tell us about all these terrible things that you've gone through. I think you've told us enough to make a lasting impression in our hearts (or lack thereof) and thus I shall ask you no more upsetting questions. I cannot say the same for Marluxia, however."

Marluxia took the stand. "First of all, Demyx, I want to say that I'm sorry that this didn't work out for you. But I must tell you that when something is over, you have to let it go. My first question is, why is it so hard to let Zexion go? You claim to love him, so why can't you see that the best way for you to do that is to let him live his own life, free from your restrictions and your wishes?"

"I do love him, and I think he still loves me too. That's why I didn't give up."

"Yes, but still, couldn't you have left him alone? I thought that you wanted him to love you, to come back to you. How can he do that if you're always there, badgering him constantly, Demyx?"

"Well, I thought I should be a constant presence in his life so that he could remember all the good times he had and the love we shared through such a tragic time."

"Still, Demyx, what you thought had helped was really just driving him further away. If you had just left him alone, he might have been willing to give you a second chance, but you had to be aggressive. It really is no wonder he got sick of you if you're so controlling and needy." Marluxia paused, then read the next question from the notes he had made while Demyx was talking. "Now then, earlier you mentioned 'hand jobs' and 'blow jobs.' Isn't this the sort of thing that would make Zexion, or anyone else for that matter, nervous and/or uncomfortable?"

"Not if they're in love," Demyx said simply.

"But Zexion has not given any evidence to support anything like that. If you two had a past together, surely he would have admitted that and told all the reasons why he had left you, instead of flat-out denying that he was ever attracted to you in any way, shape, or form, right?"

"But, I told you, he's shy and ashamed of what everyone else will think!"

"Stop making excuses, Demyx. Answer the question, please."

"I… I guess so, but it wasn't true, what he said! I loved him, and he loved me! I don't know why he hates me now, I don't understand at all, because I still love him more than life itself!" Demyx burst into tears, crying noisily, and refused to answer any more questions Marluxia attempted to ask.

After about five minutes, Marluxia eventually gave up because Demyx showed no signs of stopping. The jury had now heard all the testimony, and a short break would be given before they heard the closing arguments.

Marluxia was stressing out again about how much he had messed up. "Zexion, I'm sorry! I messed up, and now you're going to have to be with Demyx and I heard how much terrible stuff he's done to you, and oh, I'm just so sorry, because I believe you, really, not just because I'm your lawyer but because I don't believe you'd stand for something like that and you just never seemed like that sort of person to me, but now you're going to lose, and I'm going to lose, and we're all going to lose, and oh, snap, that means-"

-SLAP!- Zexion had slapped Marluxia, trying to get him to calm down, but also for a different reason. "Did you just say 'Oh, snap'?" he asked incredulously.

"Uh, yeah, sorry…" Marluxia rubbed his sore cheek remorsefully.

"It'll be fine." Zexion noticed Demyx gesturing to him from across the room. "Hey, I'll be right back, okay?" He raced out to the halls, motioning subtly for Demyx to follow him. Fortunately, Demyx caught on, and they met up in the same hallway as before.

Zexion threw his arms around Demyx. "Oh, Demyx, I do love you, I think. I just, oh, I felt so bad when you were up there crying because I told myself I'd never make you cry again, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty good at that sort of thing, wouldn't you say, Zexy? And I wasn't really crying, I made up with my water powers a way to sort of make it look like I was crying. Don't worry, you didn't break your vow of Luuuuuuuuuuuuuve!"

Zexion was speechless. Demyx was a damn good actor. Maybe he was the real Shadow King around here. What a frightening thought.

"Anyway, Zexy, I luuuuuuuuuuve you!! And the trial's going to be over soon, so I don't have to hide it anymore, and neither do you, right? Because you do love me, right? I mean, not like what I said-"

Zexion captured Demyx's lips with his own. "Yes, I told you I loved you, didn't I, Dem?"

"Yes, you most certainly did, my love! I just like to hear you say it." Demyx fluttered his eyelashes coyly at Zexion. "And I just love how you call me Dem. It makes me feel so… owned, like I'm your little Dem, and you're my Zexy-cuddly-bear-muffin-emo-dearest-darling-lover, right?"

"Uh…" Zexion really had no good way to respond to that. "Well, you sure do seem to be good at making up nicknames for people."

"Only for the people I luuuuuuuuuve!" Demyx smiled.

"Well, I would hope that you wouldn't just see a person on the street and say, 'Hey you! Yes, you, Jim Dragon Heel Chime Bear Dime Lemon Meringue Pie!' or something of the sort."

"Hey, that was my cousin's name! Remember Jim, the one who got eaten by carnivorous ducks, that was his name!"

"That's cool, Demyx."

"Yeah, I know it is."

"So, what now, Demyx?"

"Kiss me, you fool!" Demyx launched himself onto Zexion and they tumbled to the floor, kissing. This was almost the exact opposite of the event that had led up to this scene. Demyx was on top, Zexion was completely willing, and this time, there was no one to interrupt.

--------------------

Roxas was nowhere to be seen. Axel had searched everywhere, but he was not within the castle or on the surrounding grounds. He really should have planted that GPS on Roxas when he had had the chance. Damn.

Axel was unsure what to do. What did he usually do without Roxas there to entertain him and to be entertained? Truthfully, he was almost always with Roxas, and he didn't even really know what he had done before Roxas had come into his life. Really, it seemed as if Roxas had always been there, for what was Axel's reason to go on if Roxas wasn't there? Roxas was everything, and made up probably 90 percent of his daily thoughts. And, of course, Axel, like any typical teenager type, thought about sex an average of ten times a minute. You got the rest.

Of course, Axel couldn't even remember a time when he hadn't loved Roxas, and Roxas hadn't loved him. Well, he could remember them, but he couldn't even imagine just how he had felt.

Axel really had no idea what to do now. He could try and do something for Roxas when he was away, but what? He really couldn't think of anything, so he decided to go to Roxas' room and see what he could do.

Roxas' room was still a mess, and Axel first cleared off all the clothes from the floor, shoving them into the completely overflowing laundry basket. Roxas really did hate doing laundry, so he would just wear something semi-clean a few more times before he would stoop to doing the hated chore. Axel grabbed the basket and set off for the Laundry Room of Forlorn Despair. Damn, that Xemnas was good at coming up with names…

He crammed the whole load into the super-sized washing machine and added some soap before returning to Roxas' room to continue cleaning up. What a nice person he was! Next he made Roxas' bed and organized the stuff on the floor so Roxas could do something about it later, and possibly clean it all up for good. Which was not at all likely.

By the time he was finished with all this cleaning, the wash was ready to be moved into the dryer. Axel did this quickly, wrinkling his nose in distaste. This detergent stuff Demyx had bought on sale really smelled terrible. He threw in a dryer sheet and started it up.

He was going to have to wait, so he went back into Roxas' room just to look around. Luckily, he found Roxas' secret stash of chocolate! He ate only a little bit of it, but it was so yummy that Axel wondered how he had managed to restrain himself. He started looking around through all the drawers of Roxas' desk. First, there was just a bunch of random junk, like a yo-yo, a tape dispenser, and some random toys from McMickeys that he hadn't bothered to throw away. (Xemnas always insisted that Roxas had to get a SuperChild's meal every time they went, for reasons as yet unknown.) He chucked them on the newly cleaned floor and dug deeper. Here was a photo album, filled to overflowing with pictures of everyone and clippings from the local newspaper. Here was a collage of Lexaeus, featuring an autographed copy of the newspaper that had claimed Lexaeus was 'The Strongest Man in Town' by way of a contest held during the summer festival. Next was a bunch of shots entitled 'Zexion's Daily Schedule' that was a series of pictures showing Zexion either running away or trying to hide from Roxas' photographic eye in various locations.

It appeared to go in order, but Axel found his page was not after Saïx's. Instead, it just went straight to a whole collection of extremely stupid things Demyx had done through the years. Axel flipped quickly through the rest of the book, pausing only briefly to note that Roxas didn't seem to have a page for himself, either. The only pictures they were in were group shots. Very strange. Axel set it down on the ground and continued searching.

Now he pulled out a sketchbook. There were lots of vague representations of shapes, a bunch of diagrams displaying the correct proportions of the human body, and a few uncompleted sketches of basic faces. None of the faces had more than one or two features, and none was recognizable as anyone that Axel had ever seen.

Axel looked into the now empty drawer. He replaced the items and decided to search the closet. He shoved aside a rack of black cloaks (dry clean only) and started to look on these shelves. Nope, nothing interesting here. The laundry in the dryer had to be done by now. Axel took it out and started folding everything up. Roxas did sure have a lot of clothes. Lazy bum. Axel started throwing them into the drawers of the dresser, but stopped when he saw a sheet of paper under a pile of wrinkled long-sleeved shirts.

What the…? Axel pulled the paper out. It was bigger than he thought. He unfolded it and then gasped. It was him. It was almost full-sized. Axel held it up, examining it. He was drawn with an intense, yet kind, gaze, and had almost a loving expression on his face. He looked at the bottom to where it was labeled. "Axel, my best friend." It was signed by Roxas and dated two weeks ago. Axel continued to stare at the picture. Roxas was a damn good artist, that was for sure. And it was all done in pencil, but it somehow brought Axel to life, so much so that Axel could have sworn it was a reflection. Axel had nothing more but amazement. To think that his Roxas had such a talent. In silence, Axel replaced the beautiful work of art in the drawer. Roxas probably didn't want to show it to him. Axel finished folding everything up and left. Strange…

-----------------------------

The trial was just getting back into session, with Marluxia up first to present a short closing statement.

"We shall now hear the closing statements. The jury should pay attention, for they shal have to reach a decision after this is over," Xaldin announced before turning the floor over to Marluxia.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, allow me one more opportunity to present our case. Demyx has violated Zexion. Can we really allow such a person out into the world to do the same to others? I'm sure that upon seeing Demyx's sweet, childish face, one might not assume that he was anyone to fear, and doom themselves through this mistake.

"Zexion made this mistake. He trusted Demyx, and was hurt because of this. If he had not thought of Demyx as a sweet and harmless child, he would not be here in this situation, and neither would any of you. But it would have happened sometime or another, and I hope you all consider yourselves lucky that you have not been affected as much as this poor, dear boy.

"Demyx was at first just an innocent, trying to find love, but was corrupted by the power he had over Zexion, who honestly did love him at that point, and was soon by that control he had to use Zexion's affections against him. Zexion tried to resist the darkness that had taken tho one he loved away from him, but eventually succumbed to the overpowering evil that had now captured two innocent young men, polluting their pure and honest minds with sin. But… there is still hope.

"These boys have not been completely consumed by this dark malevolence. Zexion is finding purification already, through learning to forgive and forget. Demyx is still steeped in darkness. Zexion, though, through the kindness of his heart, has offered to help Demyx down this path of redemption. Demyx is guilty of this crime! Yet we are willing to help him step back onto the path of righteousness. If you can find it in your hears, and non-existent hearts, to do what is right and mark Demyx guilty, we will help him. To do what is right, not only for Zexion, but for Demyx and all the rest of you, please convict Demyx. For everyone's sake." Marluxia was finished, and everyone was pretty much cool with what he had said. Those who wanted Demyx to be found guilty were happy because, duh, he'd be guilty, and those of us on the Zemyx side were happy because Zexion was going to "help" Demyx get back to nomal, which sounded quite good.

Larxene stood and prepared to speak. "Ladis and gentlemen of the jury, you have heard all the evidence presented. You should know better than anyone that Demyx cannot possibly be found guilty, for his love was what forced him into making somewhat questionable decisions. He did everything for Zexion, surrendering body, soul, and perhaps even the fragment of heart that remained, and in turn was betrayed by the one he thought could do him no harm. Demyx should be acquitted, for his only crime was one of the heart foolishly seeking someone, a last vestige from times long passed. He believed he was right and that he was justified, and was sadly mistaken in his child-like innocence.

"Yet Demyx stands before you, his life in your hands, because he decided that just once in his life, he wanted to be the seme in this relationship. Is it enough to convict a man based on the fact that he wanted to be the one on top in a consensual situation? NO, Zexion is the real villain in this case. He mocks Demyx and verbally abused him on multiple occasions, with witnesses there to confirm this. He claimed Demyx's body every night, little thinking Demyx had any feelings or opinions in this instance. He used Demyx for his own purposes, and when Demyx finally asked for a favor, one that Zexion could have given him easily, Zexion turned against him, accusing him of various, unspecified acts against him.

"And now Zexion claims to want to help Demyx to achieve 'redemption,' when Demyx clearly needs nothing of the sort. Would you put a child into a correctional facility for a crime he has not committed, under the watchful eye of a sadistic warden known to have had past dealing with that child, and had in fact been the one, through 'unquestionable' evidence, that had caused the child to be sent in the first place? Can we so easily write off Zexion's offer as one that truly has Demyx's best interests in mind? Couldn't it be that Zexion will take advantage of this situation to once again take advantage of Demyx? Shouldn't we do everything in our power to make sure that this situation is completed and set this chapter of life aside forever more?

"Instead of focusing on a re-education program, why don't we instead work to clear Demyx of this nearly un-bleachable stain on his name? Demyx is not guilty. If you have any mercy, you will have to take a stand for the love these two may once have shared, and for the future love which may still be returned, if Zexion can rediscover the kindness he has buried deep within. Please vote accordingly, as to whether you want to punish a victim or the true criminal in this case, Zexion." Larxene bowed and took a seat.

Xigbar stood and ushered the jury (which had gotten quite large by this point) into another room, which was, in fact, the salon room from before which was now being called the deliberation room. Everyone was free to take another break until the jury had reached their final decision.

-----------------------------

Axel went back to Roxas' room, although he had nothing more to clean in there. Just being where Roxas could be found on a day-to-day basis made him feel as if Roxas was still with him, and that they could still be together. Axel wasn't that hypocritical, to say one thing to Roxas at the beginning of the day and completely change his mind by evening to say, "Yes, of course we can be together!"

It would be all right if the trial was over, but it would appear that the trial would not be concluded until tomorrow. The jury had to be given three hours to deliberate, they had been there for twenty minutes, and it was 11:11 pm. Hmmm… time for bed. Speaking of which… Axel wondered what Roxas would say if he came back to find Axel sleeping in his bed. Curious as ever, Axel decided to find out.

-----------------------------

Roxas got back to the castle with nothing to show for his adventures that day but a ring and an extreme pain in his left knee. He was so tired that when he returned to his room to see Axel already in his bed, he simply shrugged and changed his clothes, noting with some satisfaction that all his clothes had been washed, neatly folded, and put away. _'Ha! I told Xigbar that there was a Laundry Fairy, but nooooo! He didn't believe me! I was right!'_

He brushed his teeth and pulled the covers up over himself and Axel, snuggling into Axel happily and warmly. After this long, extremely annoying day, it felt nice to sleep beside the one Roxas loved as he wrapped his arms around Axel and drifted off to sleep.

-----------------------------

Axel woke up twice that night. On the first occasion, he took the opportunity to hug Roxas close to himself, completely in love with him from the way he nuzzled in and wrapped his legs around Axel's. Axel was thankful that Roxas was the kind of person who would rather go into a slightly awkward situation than put forth more effort into doing something different from the original plan. The second time he woke, he saw first the glowing blue of Roxas' eyes and realized Roxas was awake as well. They were lying on the same pillow, noses almost touching and lips not far apart. Axel softly kissed Roxas, and Roxas' eyes fluttered wide awake.

"Axel…what… why are you here…?"

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No, of course not! I was just wondering why you were right here… beside me…"

"Wasn't I here when you got here? Shouldn't I be wondering why you're here?"

"But… it's my bed…"

"So? You're my Roxas, right?"

"As long as you're my Axel, I suppose so."

"See, no trouble. I'm sorry, Roxas, about this whole thing. I suppose it would be too much to hope they've finished up this trial thing by now?" Axel whispered wistfully.

"Mmmm, I don't think they have."

"Well, then what am I doing here? I better leave. Breaking the rules, you know." Axel got up to leave, but Roxas quickly caught his arm.

"Wait! Um… after the trial is over, can we meet in the courtroom, just the two of us? There's something I've been meaning to ask you…"

"Okay. Huh… you know, I'm still a bit tired, so I hope you don't mind if I stay here for just a bit… longer… Do you?"

"Of course not." Axel pulled himself gratefully back into the bed and Roxas leaned back into the warm spot Axel had created previously.

"Ahnnnn…. You're so warm, Axel," Roxas sighed, relaxing.

"It wouldn't make sense if I wasn't."

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A few hours later, everyone was gathered in the courtroom, and Xiana stood. "The verdict is…"

----------------------

Xiana: Well, I hope you liked it. Sorry it took so long… Anyway, this is your opportunity to determine the next part of the trial! The most important part! The verdict! When you review, you can include a line saying whether you're voting for Demyx or Zexion.

Wait, let me clarify. Tell me who you're voting for to be… guilty. Yes. So include something along the lines of:

**I want Demyx to be guilty **or **Zexion is the guilty one.**

Got it? You can also PM me if you want. Let your vote be heard!

Next chapter: Is short, but intense. I pretty much love the next chapter. Ooooh, there's been foreshadowing of this for a while… Will anyone know what is going to happen? I thought it was obvious, but I… wrote the story. Also, the verdict, which depends on your votes! Yay!


	24. The Verdict

Xiana: Hi everyone! I know I didn't update in a long time! But wait! Listen to my excuse! Okay, so first I typed it up and saved it to the hard drive on the computer, right? And then I was going to post it up, but that was the day that FF wasn't letting me log in! (It may have happened to some of you too! I'm not hallucinating here!) Sooooo…. I decided to wait until the next day. And guess what happened the next day? Yep, the computer crashed and all the hard drive got deleted. Sooooo, now I have to type it up again at school because it still has to be fixed! Isn't that a good excuse!

Thanks to reviewers! **ASKInfinity, Kitsune Bara, AnimeDutchess, lunarxshinobi, Jamal-Jamal, ph33r teh Carebear, Keselyx Meeko, SetsuntaMew, artspaz, BloodSkye, Shadow of Darkness 22, TeleIce, mosesdork7289, Shguna, Shadowrisen, AlphaCentauri009, echi, yamano ringo, fire-emblem-girl, DarknessInTheValley, AeroFlux, LuneNoirTreize, **Yexis, **Gothicsuicide, Vampiremist, ghostsofanime, rikuprincess, **and** kogalover38.**

Yane… that's a lot of people… Thanks!

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_The Verdict of, Uh... DOOM! That's the one!_

"And the verdict is… the court hereby finds that the guilty party is… Demyx!" Everyone was shocked, Larxene and Marluxia most of all. A crazy murmuring started and built and built until Xaldin was forced to bash his gavel down so hard that the desk bent slightly and the vibration caused the chandelier to swing wildly back and forth.

"QUIET! ORDER! ORDER!" Everyone trembled and took a seat. "Now, before we can close this case, we need to decide the punishments that will be in order for both Demyx and Larxene. Gentlemen, what have you decided?"

"We are going to help Demyx become a functioning member of society again! By keeping him with Zexion through all hours of the night! As for Larxene, I would like to draw up the terms separately with her," Marluxia declared.

"Very well, this case is dismissed." Xaldin stood up and stretched before stripping off his judge's robes to reveal… that he was wearing a Star Trek shirt.

"Yes! Finally someone who understands me!" The hobo known as Xalex threw off his hobo coat to reveal… that he was wearing a matching shirt.

"You nerds!" Keselyx, Xiana, and Xian, just for good measure, yelled at the two, who were now sharing a nerd hug. Which is really too awkward to say anything about. Let us move on.

"So, you were that clarinet playing guy from before, right?" When Xalex nodded, Xaldin continued, "When they were asking for volunteers to play that note, I was thinking about volunteering… but then you showed up, quite conveniently I might add." He pulled his convenient clarinet out of his pocket and they played a short duet of some band song which everyone knew, for some reason.

After they were finished, Xalex turned to Xaldin. "Hey, that was awesome! Hey, you should come with me some time downtown and join the group I formed. We call it, 'The Group For Hobos And The Third Members Of A Criminal Organization Primarily Focused On World Domination And Containing Thirteen Main Members Society With Sci-Fi And Band (Especially Clarinet) Nerds,' or 'TGFHATTMOACOPFOWDACTMMSWS-FAB(EC)N' for short!"

"Sign me up!" Xaldin had instantly memorized the acronym, and the two strode out the courtroom doors, never to appear in the story again. Thank God.

Meanwhile, over at the side of the room, Demyx had dragged Zexion over possessively to where Breeze was stomping around angrily because Demyx had lost. "Don't worry, my friend! It was all a hoax, an elaborate ruse to get attention! Really, we do love each other, and nothing bad is going to happen now."

Breeze calmed down somewhat, but looked into their eyes cautiously. "You sure?" When they nodded, she still wasn't convinced. "I want to see some proof." Zexion quickly pulled Demyx into a passionate kiss.

"Oh, Demyx, I'm sorry I was so cruel to you. Apparently I was so evil in my appearance to you that this girl can't see that our love is pure!"

"Oh, Zexion… I just hope someday that she can understand our true feelings for each other…"

"Oh Demyx…."

"Oh Zexion…"

"Well, all right… But you better not be faking… I guess this means I only have to kill about three more people today instead of everyone here! Now I can be lazy! Wheeeee!" She threw a random shuriken which planted itself in the head of the Sniper from before.

Over at the other side of the room, a young Creeper squealed in horror as the head of his friend Yaro exploded in a gush of blood that spattered all over the room.

"And then, there were two."

"Explosive shuriken. Niiiiiice."

----------------------------

Marluxia met back up with Larxene in the hallway and dragged her to his room. She protested, bashing him over the head, but he kept his grip tenaciously. "Larxene, we need to talk."

"Talk about what? Is this part one of 'What to do with Larxene now that I've won,' which of course ends in rape?" she hissed.

Marluxia struggled to keep his temper in check. "No, what I meant is that we need to talk about what happened there, and what my reward should be. I don't want to hurt you."

Larxene scoffed. "Yeah, right. You men are all the same. You all just want a girl. Well, the straight ones do anyway."

"Whatever, let's talk. Would you like a seat?" Marluxia offered the comfortable executive chair on his side of the desk to Larxene, but she shoved him off and took a seat in the less comfortable wooden chair. "Well, anyway, I want to apologize if I have done anything to make you mad at me. I honestly don't understand why you're acting like this, but I would be willing to do mostly anything for you- within reason, of course. You see, I consider you a friend, and even my best friend, if such a thing would be amenable to you."

"You are, of course, aware that we do not have hearts, and as such cannot feel emotions." He held up a gloved hand, silencing the protest Larxene had started. "I am well aware that you know this. You are no idiot, Larxene. That is why I respect you more than any other in this castle. No one else could even hope to hold a candle to you, my dear electric girl. You are the one who shows the rest of us every day what we could be, and precisely why you're the only female in this Organization. We're jealous, you see.

"But no one else understands you quite like I do, I would wager to guess. I do believe that's why we spend time mainly around each other, each seeking more… refined company than we would find with that loutish bunch. You do spend a lot of time in the library reading books much too difficult for me, and some that are surely outside even Zexion's impressive range. And they say we'd be a good couple, if we're not already.

"But we aren't, and we never will be. We won't be together in this life, though it is possible for us to meet in the next… if we have one, that is. And so, I am intent on crushing any dreams you might have of us ever being together. For you see, it simply will not work." Marluxia grinned from where he sat before reaching over and kissing Larxene. "So, like I said, anything that I can do for you…"

Larxene sat in silence for a moment before turning to leave. "I may have to call on that favor soon," she smirked before walking at a dignified pace down the hallway before turning the corner to her room, tears dripping silently down her face and onto her shirt.

Marluxia smiled cunningly again. "All according to plan. Looks like we crushed that little dream, eh?"

------------------------------

Demyx was really happy. It didn't matter that he had lost, because Zexion still loved him, and he was going to get "re-educated" by that same Zexion. This really did sound like fun, especially knowing that there really were no boundaries anymore. Everyone knew about their relationship now, so why not? He took the opportunity to run up behind Zexion and leap onto his back. Unfortunately, not only was Zexion unprepared, but he was much smaller than Demyx, so they went flying far away to conveniently crash into a wall.

Zexion got up angrily. "Demyx! Just because I love you now doesn't mean you get to beat me up and crash me into walls, you know!"

"Oh, I know. I just… I wanted…. You were just so cute!"

Zexion sighed. "All right, what do we do now, Demyx?"

"Now we should… I actually don't know for once!"

"Hmmmm…." Zexion remembered Koyama's advice for long ago. "We should go on a picnic!"

"A romantic picnic?"

"Of course! You get the blankets and such, and I shall make the food!"

"All right!" They scurried off in opposite directions, preparing for their first real date.

-----------------------

Roxas was waiting for everyone to leave. Even after yesterday, he wouldn't want to propose with everyone watching him. He shooed some Berserkers out the door impatiently. Why did everyone feel the need to stand around here and talk about the case? It would surely have been much funner to leave instead of hanging around in the room where they had spent the last few days.

And yet, no one seemed to be leaving. Fortunately, Roxas had an evil plan. He pulled out a lighter and a piece of paper. He lit the paper, threw it on the ground, and yelled, "FIRE!!!!" at the top of his lungs. Everyone panicked and ran away except for Axel, who came over because, of course, he was attracted to all things warm, burn-y, and Roxas-y.

"Hey, Axel." The two watched each other as the paper burned to ash. Roxas took Axel's hand and led him over to the center of the room beneath the chandelier. "Um, the trial is over now. I still care, and so even though it was a joke before, I feel it is important, and thus I must ask… Look out!" The next few moments appeared before Axel in slow motion. Roxas jumped, appearing weightless for a moment as he soared into Axel, knocking him backwards. Roxas seemed suspended there for a moment. Then he was buried in a shower of golden metal by the once so elegant chandelier.

A shard of glass whistled toward Axel's face, slicing his cheek deep, but he didn't notice. He was already moving toward the wreckage, sifting through the rubble urgently in search of Roxas.

The crystal shards cut deeply into his hands as he pulled the main frame off of the body of his dearest Roxas. He grabbed the crushed form to him, caressing that once clean, now bloody face gently. He stood slowly, carrying Roxas lightly, attempting to keep his balance and to prevent any further injuries.

He looked down as he walked slowly down the hallway, staring at the angelically closed eyes of his true love. "Oh… Roxas, I love you. I love you, Roxas, I love you. Don't leave me, Roxas. Don't leave me. I love you. You can't die, I'm telling you this now, oh don't die, please, please don't…"

Roxas stirred feebly and managed to lift a finger to Axel's lips. "'S okay… I do love you too… I'll be fine, if you just give me a second to rest…" He trailed off and his arm dropped slowly to rest on Axel's chest.

Axel carried Roxas silently over to the room where Luxord was taking care of Vexen and laid him silently on the bed with the curtain around it. He pulled Luxord over to start examining Roxas. Then, he cried.

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Xiana: Wow, that was an intense chapter, huh? It may be the climax, in fact, I'm pretty sure it is. Um… yeah. Did anyone see that coming? The chandelier? I thought I foreshadowed it, but if you say you didn't see it, I'll be happier! I… pretty much hate predictabililty. Well, myself being predictable, that is. Uh… yeah! Oh... I hope I don't die...


	25. The Odds Are

Xiana: Here's chapter 25! Uh… there are only two chapters left after this one…

Hey, if you guys are ever hungry and just happen to have Coco Puffs, Goldfish Crackers, Yogos, and Fruity Pebbles cereal, you should definitely mix them all together. It's really yummy… Don't add milk, though. Well, as long as you have Coco Puffs and Goldfish Crackers you should be fine.

Slight Ouran reference near the end. Which I do not own. I don't own any of this, btw.

-----------------------------------------

_The Odds Are…_

Demyx skipped merrily to the kitchen while carrying many blankets and a convenient picnic basket he had found on the floor. "Zeeeeeeeeexy! I'm here, are you ready yet?"

"Just a moment! I have to finish making these extremely fattening, but also quite tasty, salami-and-American-and-pepperoni-and-provolone-and-ham sandwiches and also the Coco-Puff-Goldfish-Crackers-Yogos-Fruity Pebble trail mix. It would be done already, except that there were only like thirty pieces left in the Coco Puff box. Did you eat them all again?"

"Nooooo… It wasn't me! It was Axel and Roxas! They ate the Coco Puffs together with love!" Demyx revealed.

"What do you mean, Demyx?"

"I mean… that all along, we were secretly right, and they did like each other! It was on one of our breaks at the trial; I came into the kitchen, and I saw them in there making out! It was really cool! Because they were really cute and all mushy-gushy and awwwww! I just love those two together! I mean, canon and cute! What more do you want? Akuroku! Akuroku! Yeah!"

"Really?" Zexion asked interestedly. "So, are they going out now?"

"Uh, I don't know! They should! And they should get married! Why? Because they are in love, even more than us two, y'know?"

"Yeah, I've pretty much been all for it since day one when Roxas joined. I saw the way that Roxas looked at Axel, and I definitely saw a spark or two in that gaze, if you know what I mean. And then, Axel really is a pyro, so it's sort of surprising that the sparks took this long to catch. I hope that they will be very happy together."

"But we shall be happier! Because we are the Zexion and the Demyx, and we are the bestest of all the everyone couples everywhere!" Demyx sure was competitive.

"Demyx, that last sentence didn't even make sense. Anyway, shall we go?"

"Yep! I say we go to the park over there by The Store, you know, with the big playground!"

"This is a date-date, you know. Not a play-date, Demyx…"

"I know! But still! We can relive our childhood memories and play together and I can push you on the swings and it can be romantic, right?"

"Yeah, sure. Let's go already." They walked away to the park in silence, as much silence as there could be when Demyx was still talking about various date-related things, that is.

Zexion found a lovely patch of grass on which he set the basket and proceeded to help Demyx spread out the blankets, and they took a seat on the padded ground. Zexion pulled out a sandwich for Demyx. "Here, try one! It may not be healthy, but it sure is delicious! I made it especially for you, Demyx."

Demyx took the giant sandwich and bit into it carefully before chewing it thoughtfully. He smiled. "It's really good!" He snuggled against Zexion as the two laid back to watch the idle clouds scud across the sky. After a while, Demyx began looking for images in the clouds.

"Hey, Zexion, that one's a bird! And that looks like a train! And over there is a theoretical representation of the string theory! And that one looks like a smiley face! Zexion do you see it?"

"All I see are clouds, Demyx."

"That one over there looks like me! And that one looks like you! Awwww… now we're kissing! These clouds are awesome!"

"Um… that looks more like a one-legged dodo bird with its eye getting stabbed out by a pencil to me, Demyx…"

"Yeah, I know… but it would be cooler if it was us…"

"Then let's let it be." Zexion flipped himself up and stretched his arm out to Demyx. "Come on, you wanted to play on the playground, right?"

"Yeah!" As Zexion pushed Demyx higher on the swing set, he wondered what would happen next. Somehow, he had gone from hating Demyx to loving him, all in less than a week. No matter how it had happened, it was nice not only to care for someone, but to have someone care for you as well.

-----------------------------

Luxord was having a terrible week. First Vexen had gotten sick from his toxic experiment, than, Zexion had messed up his ankle after being sprung out of his seat by some sort of spring, and now Roxas was in here because a chandelier had fallen on him. Zexion had been one thing, when Demyx had explained the reference to him. But, come on now! What are the odds of someone being hit by a chandelier while they just happened to be walking through the room?

"287,986 to 1," said a calm, mysterious voice.

"Well, yes, I knew that, but still! Why are all these things happening to me?"

"I apologize. Things must be hard for you." Xiana patted Luxord on the shoulder before slipping something into his hand. "Don't lose sight of your light."

"What the hell? Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault…" Luxord turned to find that Xiana had disappeared. He looked down to find a five-munny piece in his hand. "And just what the hell am I supposed to do with this?" No one answered for some odd reason. Although perhaps this wasn't so odd because Vexen was sleeping, Roxas was unconscious, and Axel appeared so deeply traumatized by the incident that all he could do was sit on a bid, staring ahead and every once in a while blinking. Luxord could sort of empathize, for he understood how much Axel cared for Roxas. The two were best friends, after all. Roxas really had escaped nearly unscathed, so there shouldn't have been that much reason for Axel to worry. Miraculously, he had no broken bones, and even the cuts and bruises he had sustained were minor. He had a mild concussion, but even that would go away quickly. Mostly, it was stress that had really gotten to Roxas. Not only must the past few days have been active, but the sudden shock, as is often found in cases where the victim has been smashed by a chandelier, had been a major contributing factor. Luxord was confident that Roxas would be fully recovered by tomorrow.

Either way…. Luxord pocketed the munny. He was never one to say no to free moolah. Then again, few people were. What was with that girl, anyway? It wasn't like she had anything to do with what was going on, right? Unless… Luxord snapped his fingers. "I've got it! Xiana is Roxas' ex-girlfriend who he broke up with, and she later started dating Axel. Roxas was jealous, because deep down, he still loved her, so he sabotaged the chandelier and then lured Axel under it! However, he had a change of… non-heart at the last moment, for he pushed Axel out of the way and was crushed instead. So Xiana came in, believing that it was all her fault, and thus wanted to compensate me for my troubles, but she has been a poor hobo for some time now, and was unable to spare more than a little small change!"

A ragged chuckle escaped from Axel's mouth. "You've got it all wrong, friend. Xiana has nothing to do with any of this. It's just me. Me and Roxas. I liked Roxas, and Roxas liked me. We had a great time for a while. Then, of course, stupid me couldn't explain to him how I felt. So I avoided him. We made a plan to meet back up in that room after the trial was over. Roxas created a distraction. Everyone left. It was just him and me, and he was about to tell me something, or ask something really important, when all of a sudden, this fucking chandelier came down from the sky. He saved me."

"Okay… I like my story better. Your story doesn't have any hoboes in it. Anyway, I'd tell you that Roxas was going to be okay, but…" Luxord paused for dramatic effect, "he's dead."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Axel asked, as incredulously as would someone told that his or her blue-eyed, blond-haired best-friend-turned-lover, who he or she had cruelly rejected previously and who had just been injured in a tragic incident to save the afore-mentioned someone at the risk of said lover's life, had died.

"Yes, yes, I'm joking, haha…"

"You can't fucking joke about that. Roxas is the person I care most about, out of everyone in the entire world, and you think you can just tell me he's dead and think I'm not going to do anything about it? You really have no shame." Axel's voice was calm and quiet, more terrifying than if he had had simply started screaming at Luxord. Axel pulled himself off the bed and stared blankly into Luxord's eyes before raising his fist and cracking Luxord in the jaw. Luxord collapsed to the floor; Axel kicked his prone form once before returning to sit beside Roxas' bed, hoping that Roxas would wake once more to shine the bright blue love of his eyes on Axel once again. He hoped this more than anything.

---------------------------------

Larxene kept trying to stop the tears. It was just... so hard. Marluxia had flat-out said that he would never even consider her, and that they had no future together. She struggled to control her emotions, and she dug her nails into her palm until she could confidently walk toward the mirror with her trademark Larxene-really-couldn't-care-less-about-any-of-you expression on her face.

So now what? Marluxia had rejected her summarily. Should she even attempt to pursue him, or just move on and find someone else? Axel, Roxas, Demyx, and Zexion were all out, and she really wouldn't want to go out with any of them anyway. Except maybe for Zexion. Really, he was quite cute, in an emo-y way. Doesn't every girl dream of having her own cute emo boy, really?

But Zexion had already been claimed by Demyx, and unless something went horribly wrong, they were liable to continue on their current course of a sometimes rocky but always… non-heartfelt love.

So there was still Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, Saïx, and Luxord. Xemnas was out. Just out. Out. Xigbar could be considered, Larxene had always found that eye patch strangely alluring. Xaldin was a straight-up nerd, and Larxene was not that desperate. Vexen was a scientific-y guy, and she was more of a historical-fiction girl. It wasn't going to work. Lexaeus was strong and stoic, maybe he would care for her in his silent way. Saïx and she had a lot in common. They both liked causing pain to others. But was that good enough for a relationship? Luxord was a gambling man. Surely he could win enough games and enough munny to buy all kinds of stuff for her.

Larxene decided to narrow it down still further. Let's say, either Saïx or Luxord. Money or a similar personality? Yes, Larxene was the type of person who would unequivocally choose money. Yes, she intended to pay Luxord a visit in a little while. Once she had gotten over Marluxia, but that wouldn't take long. It wasn't as if she had actually cared for him. Simply absurd to think such a thing.

Really, there wasn't anything could that one could say about Marluxia. He was just a man who strolled around making the flowers grow and waving his pink scythe of Doom. She didn't even know how she had ever allowed herself to think such a thing. Larxene liking Marluxia. Ha. Not to mention, he had probably just rejected her so outright because he wasn't even interested in girls. Anyone who would control plants and then also willingly spend their time growing pretty, and not deadly, varieties, couldn't be a straight line. Yes, clearly, anyone who would reject Larxene in such a way was most obviously searching for someone without boobs.

But she had always thought of Marluxia as a man. You know, a "normal" man, one who liked women. Still, she shouldn't be wasting time on that guy who didn't like her and who she didn't like.

But she knew that was a lie. There was always time for her to waste for him. It wasn't that she didn't like him. She really, really did. But Marluxia didn't like her. She had two options. She could either try and find out how to get him to like her back, or she could move on and start with Luxord or Saïx. The last plan had the added effect of possibly making Marluxia jealous, by showing that she could be happy with someone else. Not to mention, free stuff, right?

She smiled. First step, Luxord. She dabbed on some eyeshadow and rolled a little extra mascara onto her eyelashes, effectively disguising the fact that she had been crying. She examined her appearance critically, but decided she could see no flaws. She stepped out into the hallway and walked swiftly down toward the hospital room.

What she saw was not exactly what she had expected, however. Roxas was lying on the side of the room, bandaged up, Axel was sitting next to him, holding his hand lightly, Vexen was asleep, and Luxord appeared to be getting up from where he had somehow fallen on the ground.

Larxene smiled brightly. "Oh, Luxord! Why don't you take a quick break from taking care of everyone and come with me instead?"

Luxord was all too happy to comply. He followed her down the hallway to the dining room. "So, what's up?"

"Oh, Luxord… I'm sorry if this is awkward, but I guess… I like you. Like, a lot. I'm sorry, I really hope this isn't awkward for you, but I was wondering if you'd like to maybe go with me to the movies tomorrow? I mean, if you don't want to, that's no problem, but…"

"Oh, I'll go. It's no problem. Thanks for asking me, Larxene!" Larxene smiled. Phase one completed.

------------------------------------

Pain. A hazy cloud that pricked him continuously with hundreds of pins and needles, though never to the point where he would wake up. In many ways, it was comforting, a familiar feeling that told him he was still among the living.

It was as if he was suspended in a cloud of needles. Safety came with the small price of slight discomfort. Never before had he experienced anything quite like this. He had battled until he fell to the ground, but never to the point where he had actually lost consciousness. It was a new experience, and one that he could honestly claim to enjoy more than lying on the cold, hard concrete, gasping desperately for air, chest tight and ribs contracting and expanding agonizingly as he wheezed, sucking down mouthful after precious mouthful of rich oxygen as if it was his final breath. Those moments of wretchedness, of absolute weakness, were when he felt there was no reason to continue living, to fight for any cause he could stand to support, and it was times like this where he felt an uncontrollable urge to give in to the pain, to surrender to the darkness compressing him, to relinquish control of his corporeal form to some unknown deity, to be completely eclipsed and destroyed by the sudden entirety of knowledge that his life meant nothing and that there would be no disturbance in the perpetuity of time, not even the slightest ripple of a leaf skimming the surface of a stagnant pool, were he to die here.

In comparison, this prickling feeling was like heaven, like he had finally forsaken his hopes, fears, and dreams and moved to stand in the light, free from impurity. It was only the occasional twinges of discomfort he still noticed from time to time that prevented him from releasing his loose grasp on the material world. He was content to remain here for a time, to float in his bastion of solitude before returning to face the world. All too soon, the enchantment was broken, and he was vaguely aware that he once again had the power to move, though he chose instead to simply lay there, reclining in some as-yet unidentified place, content to rest and to recover from some strenuous ordeal that he had previously undergone.

And then, a sharp pain shot through him, though it quickly reduced itself to a dull throbbing in his temples. So this is what it feels like to be crushed beneath a grand chandelier, he thought, wondering idly where such an odd idea had come from.

It was after deciding that it was probably a misconception, a misinterpretation that was the product of a delusional brain, brought on by stress and the loss of substantiality, that he noticed someone appeared to be speaking. He attempted to make out phrases, even just solitary words, but there was a faint buzzing in one ear, a metallic ringing that would not be out of place at the aftermath of a concert where one had, through some unfortunate oversight, forgotten to bring along earplugs.

He attempted to respond to the as-yet unknown figure, intending to say something along the lines of, "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" It came out more as a sort of vague "Uuuuuhhhhhh…?" His tongue felt thick and fuzzy, dry and much too big for his mouth.

He opened his eyes, grimacing from both the strong light from above and from the scurfy flakes of hardened goo that fell into his eyes after he blinked, the flecks captured in his long, pale lashes as his vision spun into an image of the scene around him. A bright reddish blur atop a pale circle attached to a huge black mass corrected itself in his jumbled sight to form a more orderly picture of a man with bright hair the color of flame wearing all black. The man seemed looked very worried about what was happening, so he tried to reassure him that he was really all right and that there was no need to worry. His tongue remained coarse and unmoving, however, and all he could do was attempt to smile, drawing his parched lips up into a slightly pained grin before slipping back into the limbo of his dreams to once again undergo the repetitive piercing of the needles until the next opportunity for him to properly regain his body.

--------------------

Roxas woke, gasping for breath. It was dark outside, but there was still a lone light shining in the room. Roxas struggled to sit up, and accidentally woke up Axel, who had laid his head on the side of the bed, though he still clasped Roxas' hand within his own. Axel looked up at Roxas to find that Roxas was awake, and pressed a button on the bed's remote control so that Roxas could sit up.

"Uuhhh… what happened…? My head feels ready to split in two…"

"Roxas, you… the chandelier in the courtroom fell suddenly and hit you. You saved me, you know. Thank you."

Roxas tried a smile. "Hey, you're welcome. Now, what were we… Ah, now I remember. Hey? Is Vexen asleep?"

"Yeah, I thnk so. And Luxord's still gone, so really, it's just us two. Did… you have something you wanted to ask me, Roxas?" Axel asked softly.

"Oh, yeah. But first… Axel,, you… did say it, didn't you? You… told me that you… love me?"

"Yeah… yeah, I did, didn't I? Roxas… I love you."

"Thanks Axel. I love you, too. I really do mean it, and thus I must ask you, because I feel it is important…" Roxas steadily pulled out the jewelry box from here he had tucked it away earlier; thankfully, it was still there. "Will… would you consent to marry me, Axel?" He opened the box, and Axel could tell he was really quite serious about the whole thing.

"You're proposing, Roxas? Of course. I love you. Just as long as this doesn't mean I have to wear the dress, okay?"

They laughed lightly before Roxas responded. "Of course not. I already have one being delivered tomorrow. It's really pretty, if you ask me. I… I knida prepared this whole thing earlier yesterday. I really am glad that you said yes…"

"Of course. I can't reject you, for you are the one I love." Axel plucked the ring from its box and slipped it onto the ring finger of his right hand. "So, you've been planning this for a while, then, haven't you? Does that mean… that you forgive me?"

"Yes, of course I forgive you. How could I not?"

"That's good." Axel sank back in his chair before leaning forward, pressing Roxas' back against the bed as he kissed him. Roxas was able to move one arm up to cradle Axel's face to his own, though his elbow slipped from the unexpected weight of the cloth covering his arm and landed on the remote control. The bed sloped gently downward, and Axel was forced to climb on top of the bed and straddle Roxas to continue showing affection. Not that Roxas minded. Axel had said yes! He hadn't really been expecting him to say no, but it was just more confirmation that he was right and that he hadn't simply wasted a day of effort. He gently pushed Axel back to whisper, "I'm so glad," to him before once again falling asleep.

Axel stole on last, quick kiss before pulling himself into bed next to the sleepy and gleeful Roxas. Tomorrow, they could be joined forever, and never be separated again. The bed was too small for both of them to recline comfortably, so Axel lifted Roxas on top of himself. It was very comfortable to have a warm and slightly plushie boy on top of you, or so Axel discovered. He only hoped Roxas would be at least half as comfortable. Axel didn't really think he was sharp and pointy, so he thought probably he was soft, then. Roxas had seemed to like sleeping with him before… in a manner of speaking, so maybe he'd also like… sleeping on him. Roxas sighed dreamily in his sleep and rolled over so that his face was crushed up against Axel's chest. It was a bit uncomfortable for Axel, but he couldn't move away and leave Roxas to fall to the cold, hard bed… It was times like this that made Axel feel like a virtuous person, and also that Roxas was really weird when he was asleep.

----------------------------

Roxas woke up again eventually. The first thing he noticed was that he was lying on top of Axel in the hospital bed. The next thing he noticed was that he was practically wrapped head to toe in bandages. He started pulling them off and throwing them on the floor, trying to be careful not to wake Axel up. The truth was, he just wanted to lay on top of Axel for a little while longer, and he feared that Axel would tell him to get off if they were both awake. His fears were unfounded, however, because after a short time, he noticed a pair of green eyes watching him.

"Having fun, Roxy?"

"Oh, why yes, Axel, I just love pulling bandages off of myself after I've been whacked by a chandelier."

"I can do it for you if you want." Not waiting for a response, Axel sat up and placed Roxas in his lap and started gently peeling the cloth off Roxas' arms. Roxas relaxed in Axel's arms and watched, but leaned forward again when he saw the bandages covering Axel's hands.

"What… did you do to yourself, Axel?"

Axel withdrew his hand quickly. "What, this? It's nothing. I just had to save you from the chandelier, and…"

"Don't get hurt… on my account," Roxas whispered, feeling sorrowful that Axel had been injured because of him.

"Don't worry, I'm not going emo or anything."

"That's okay, I can be emo enough for both of us. Just… it's fine now, so don't worry."

"All right." Axel went back to pulling off the bandages. The skin was mostly whole, and Roxas probably wouldn't even remember the cuts by tomorrow. Nobodies had extremely high healing rates. Axel was still careful to take care not to hurt Roxas, but once the job was done, Roxas stretched out.

"Thanks for that. I was kind of uncomfortable."

"But now you're comfortable, right?"

"…If I say no, can I lay on you again."

Axel sighed. "Sure, Roxy."

"Well in that case, no." Roxas flipped over onto his stomach. Axel laid down and pulled Roxas up.

"Are you comfortable now?"

"I love you, Axel."

"Well, that's good. If you didn't, I would kick you off, and I'd squish you instead!" Axel joked.

"Nuh-uh… I'm not squishing you! Plus, you said I could, and it would be just mean to kick me out..."

"But if I love you, you should love me back, right?"

"No way! I don't have to!"

"Yes, you do, if you want to lie here, that is." Axel grinned and did something tricky so that he was now on top of the facedown Roxas.

"Hey!" Roxas protested, flailing around. "But I did say that I loved you! Because I do! What did you do that for?"

"I did it because I love you," Axel whispered into Roxas' ear, tickling him with warm, moist breath.

Roxas had just enough room to flip himself over to look into Axel's dancing eyes. "You're so evil, taking advantage of a poor, helpless, young invalid…"

"But you know you love it."

"Yeeeees, but still. You know, we could have a trial of our own. Winner gets to be on top."

"Nah, too much effort. I say super-intense-high-speed-rock-paper-scissors, best two out of three!"

"But I always lose…"

"Now you're getting it, Roxas."

"You're so mean." Roxas kissed Axel. "And yet, I still love you."

"Some people just never learn, huh?"

"Or maybe I'm just a slow learner." They began kissing again , free from restraint now that the trial was over and love was confirmed. Eventually, Roxas shoved Axel off. "Hey, we have a marriage to prepare for. What are we doing lollygagging around here?"

"Gosh, Roxy, it's your own fault for distracting me with your cuteness."

"Awww, be quiet. Besides, it's not my fault a chandelier fell on me!"

"But it is! You see, every day you walked into that room, the chandelier ghost looked down from above and said, 'That boy is so pretty. I must steal him away!' But then it saw me and it was so depressed that it decided to kill itself, its love, and its rival at the same time! Poor chandelier ghost… it sacrificed itself in vain…"

"But, Axel, there's no such thing as a chandelier ghost… and even if there was, wouldn't it be already dead and unable to die again?"

"You might think so, but chandelier ghosts are special! Once they die, they are given one last chance to make things right before they die again. However, if they don't take that chance, they are immediately consigned to the eleven-teenth circle of hell!"

"Axel…" Roxas began laughing. "That sounds like something Demyx would say…"

"Fine." Axel got off the bed and pulled the sheet around the bed aside. And met the eyes of a confused Vexen.

"Wh… What were you two doing in there?"

"Wouldn't you like to know…?" Axel smirked. "Hey, Rox, I gotta go dig up something to wear. It is tonight, right?"

"Oh, yeah. I think, just as long as the dress was delivered last night when we were sleeping."

"Right. Say, what color is it, anyway?"

"It's actually sort of a bluish-blackish. It's really pretty, if I do say so myself."

"Nice. Way to be. What else do we have to do to get ready for it?"

"Uh… Oh, crap! I forgot to get invitations out last night! What are we going to do?"

A trumpet fanfare blared and a high-powered motor lifted an evil and mysterious figure up. "When in doubt… call on the fangirls!"

"Xiana!" everyone exclaimed, including Vexen, who was pretty smart to know her name since he hadn't actually met her before.

"Yes! Tis I, Xiana, and with my loyal troops, we shall deliver your letters for you, Roxas!" Laughing evilly, she descended as the motor whirred up again.

"Well, then it's all settled! Shall we meet someplace at… 7:00?" Axel asked. Roxas nodded. "All right, I'll see you then." Axel planted one last smooch on Roxas' lips before hurrying out the door. Roxas simply stood and smoothed out the bed before following Axel outside, leaving behind a very confused looking Vexen.

'_Axel just kissed Roxas. They slept in the same bed last night. When they woke up, not only was Axel acting very tenderly towards Roxas, but they were also making jokes about "being on top", and other intimate sorts of innuendo. They needed invitations to be sent to people. A dress was delivered last night. Axel was wearing a ring on the ring finger of his right hand. Final conclusion?'_

"They're… getting married? But… but…" Vexen gave up. "But I didn't even know they were going out… HOW COME EVERYONE IN THIS CASTLE SUDDENLY SEEMS TO HAVE A BOYFRIEND!? And why doesn't anyone love me…?"

-------------------------------------------

Xiana: Oh noes! I haven't updated in a while! Sorry… I really have no excuse. So… I thought this chapter was pretty good. (Throws Zexion plushies to the audience in appeasement.)

Next: Ano… All the pizza girls get mentioned and hopefully have at least sort of a big part…


	26. Mail Delivery! Reward: 50 Munny!

Xiana: Chapter 26! The second-to-last chapter! Uh… This one is all about the pizza girls! Mostly! So… I hope you like it.

Short Explanation of Characters:

Xmatt (Matt) is a weird, rich kid. We all go over to his house and play games. He never wants to give up the Wavebird! He plays SSBM way too much, so much so that he goes on Google Video and searches for Super Smash Bros. Videos showing cool stuff he can show off. He usually plays as Samus or Fox. He's not the most intelligent of our friends, and Keselyx pretty much hates him.

Xeric1 (XFish) is a cool kid. He dyed his hair black because he was Dracula in that school's play. It used to be really fluffy and weird, now it's just weird. He always plays as Jigglypuff, or as some completely random character.

Xeric2 (Xeric) is sort of cool. He's really smart, but somewhat lacking in the common sense department. Did I say somewhat? I meant really lacking. Fool. I actually don't know what SSBM character he plays as, but I do know that he wasn't very good…

Xben is kind of annoying. He's pretty shallow, but surprisingly smart sometimes. He used to love Xlauren, but she cruelly rejected him on many an occasion. Despite that, he still loves her. Maybe. Actually, I don't know right now. He plays as Link and was the first of the group to use the evil bomb strategy. (Xian was the second!)

Xlauren has fluffy hair and really doesn't appear much in the story. No! It's really fluffy, her hair is.

Kexaj is a cool kid. There's nothing really I can say about him. He's actually really weird. I don't know if he has ever even played SSBM, so it's a good thing he's not in that part, ne?

And I never really explained Xalex. He's pretty cool. He's a good Zetapal and he has funny curly hair and he plays the clarinet and he's not an emo kid and he plays as Pikachu in SSBM!

----------------------------------------

_Mail Delivery! Reward: 50 Munny!_

The girls organized themselves into different groups. Roxas had given them all a list of people that needed to be invited, and they all lined up with their helmets on and their skateboards in hand. Xian came along too, because he liked to hang out with crazy fan girls??? Roxas had many friends, so they had to start right away!

-----------------

There were actually two groups of people that weren't going on the delivering mission. One group was made up of Kai-chan and Kel, and it was their job to get the room prepared and to find a priest guy, as well as fill all the other important wedding-ish positions. They set off first to find a nice room. They found a room called, "The Chapel of Triumphant Sorrows," and decided it sounded perfect, although Kel questioned the fact that the name made it sound semi-demonic, when in reality it was as pure white as bone-disease blue inside. They then split to get different people ready. It was Kel that had to find a best man and who also needed to find the priest/marrying-guy/whatever the hell that guy's called. She went to Axel's room and knocked on the door.

Axel called, "Come in," and she obeyed. There was a huge heap of clothes on the ground and Axel was just standing around looking hopelessly at the mess.

"So, who do you want for best man?" Kel questioned.

"I… uh… I don't know!!!" Axel started crying.

-SLAP!- Kel slapped Axel with a glove. "Stop crying, you fool! Or I shall challenge you to a duel!"

"You're on, just because that rhymed!"

"Okay!" Kel went into the conveniently located closet and brought out two huge broadswords. She pulled on her plate armor and turned to face Axel. "Prepare thyself, villain!"

"Don't I get a sword? Or armor?"

"Nay! Thou needst get thine own!" Kel charged.

Axel ran down the hallway in terror. "But… But those are my swords!!!"

They ran down the hallway as Kai-chan watched. She saw them disappear around the corner and continued on with trying to find bridesmaids and a ring-bearer. Deciding it would be easiest just to find pizza girls; she ran down and found Stringy, Breeze, and Yumi. She stole their skateboards and ran away. "Hey, you guys are bridesmaids now and bridesmaids don't skateboard; you guys get to wear really nice dresses that you won't be able to wear to anything ever again no matter what anyone says, so now you have to go help Roxas into his sexy dress, so have fun! Bye!"

The three girls were silent. Kai-chan continued running. When it was obvious that she wasn't coming back, they shrugged collectively and headed off for Roxas' room. They found Roxas struggling to lace up the dress, and Yumi immediately took charge.

She cinched the back up tight and Roxas had to take several quick, shallow breaths to avoid collapsing from a lack of oxygen. Roxas turned around and everyone gasped. Roxas was really shiny. He looked at the three girls. "Do I really… look good?" he asked self-consciously.

"Of course! You're shiny!" All the girls jumped on him.

"H-hey… get off… can't breathe…" Roxas wheezed, face rapidly turning blue.

They reluctantly pulled off. Stringy asked, "So, why ya gettin' married anyway?"

"Because I love Axel," Roxas said very matter-of-factly.

"I know, but why marriage?"

"Hmm…" Roxas didn't really know. "Well, Axel joked about it, and I thought it was a good idea. So when we were split up for the trial, I organized all this stuff. I really… am not sure, but I think it's a good idea."

"Me too!" Stringy smiled. "Still, it didn't really make sense. I mean, just going to all this trouble. I could only come up with two explanations."

"What?" Yumi asked curiously.

"First, I thought it was just some properness thing, and that Roxas just didn't want to have sex until after the wedding."

"Wh-what?" Roxas squeaked. "How does… what does… that has nothing to do with it!" He was flushing as bright a red as the lipstick Breeze was now applying to his face, just for fun.

"Well, it's a way to describe the reason. Besides, you strike me as sort of a conservative boy, and one who'd want to so things the 'right' way."

"So, does your embarrassment mean that you two haven't… done it yet?" Yumi asked.

"H-hey! Well, we haven't… but it's not because of the wedding or anything… We just never really had an opportunity…"

"Yeah, you did." Breeze spoke up as if this fact was indubitable. "We saw you at the pool, but… you didn't do anything. Not to mention, you've been spending all this time in each other's beds… Can you really say you've had no time?"

"You know, we just hooked up three days ago. And when I say hooked up, I mean we started making out at breakfast."

"No better way to do it!" Everyone looked at Yumi. "Just saying."

Stringy started putting some blue eye shadow on Roxas' fluttering eyelids. "Roxas, you're going to be really sexy when we're finished with you."

"Yeah, we may just have to hold you down and rape you because we may not be able to control ourselves."

"But then he wouldn't be able to lose his virginity to Axel. Which is more important, really."

"So, are you two going to… 'have fun' tonight?" Wink wink.

"Uh… yeah, I guess… Unless we get too drunk and we just fall asleep…" Poor Roxas was finding it quite awkward to discuss his sex life with a bunch of yaoi fangirls.

"All right, just one more question." Yumi smiled evilly. "Sooooo… who's going to be on top?"

"I refuse to answer that."

"So that means you're either uke, or you haven't decided yet."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because no one wants to brag about being on the bottom, but you probably would if you were seme. But I think you're both flip-floppers about these sorts of things and neither of you wants to hurt the other. It's kinda sweet." Stringy was very observant.

"That's enough of this… Uh, what was your second reason for having a wedding?" Roxas asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Well, that one's easy. You're just so hopelessly obsessed with cross-dressing, Roxas."

"What!"

"Well, it's true, isn't it?"

--------------------

Shiguna and Dutchess had set off together to deliver letters. They skateboarded up to the first place in the city, Mrs. XCranor's house. Once there, they rang the doorbell. A lady came out and asked, in a Texas-y sort of accent, "Did y'all bring your five dollars?"

"Uh, no… we're here to see Xmatt."

"Ah, come on in, girls. They're down in the basement." Mrs. XCranor put some brownies into the oven.

Shiguna threw off her helmet and ran down right away, immediately starting to bash Xmatt with a pillow. "Xmatt, you idiot! You aren't even cool to have an X in your name! Now we'll just call you Matt! You should die!"

Dutchess trailed behind. "Anyway, Matt, Xeric, Xeric, and Xben, you are all invited to a wedding. Although I'm not sure at all why Roxas would invite any of you, except maybe the Xerics, but still."

"Roxas? That kid's awesome," commented Xben.

"Yeah, it was really funny that one time when he totally pwned you in DDR!" Matt commented unwisely.

"Shut up, Matt. He owned you too, which is more impressive anyway."

"In this household, we say pwned!"

"Yeah, that's because you're a nerd."

There was a pause before Xeric1, hereafter known as the XFish, broke the silence by pausing the game. "Look at me, I'm so adowable!" The game, of course, was Super Smash Bros. Melee, and he was playing as Jigglypuff.

The other Xeric was sad. "I lost again…"

"Of course you lost, Xeric. It really should be no surprise to you…" Poor Xeric wasn't really too good at games.

"Hey, you're out! That means I call the controller!" Shiguna grabbed the controller and squished herself onto the couch. Dutchess followed more slowly and handed the first shiny white card to Xeric. He opened it very neatly, as one might expect such an Xeric to do. By the time he was finished, Matt had lost and been forced to give up his controller ("But it's my Wavebird!") and Xben and XFish were down to one life each. Eventually, XFish rolled crazily out of control and died when he fell off the side of the temple.

"So… he's getting married?" asked Xeric, which was sort of a dumb thing to ask because Dutchess had already told them this quite a while ago.

"Yep!"

"'You are hereby invited to the joyous uniting of Roxas and Axel on this day Sunday the 51st of May,'" Matt read off the card.

"Wow, Matt can read!" Everyone else was amazed.

"Axel? That's a weird name for a girl…" Xeric commented.

Shiguna and Dutchess looked at each other and started laughing. "Yeah… h-she gets that a lot. She had kind of strange parents."

"Is she pretty?" asked Xben, who deeply cared about such things.

"Yeah, she's really pretty!" Shiguna pulled out her wallet, which had a convenient picture of Axel.

"Wow, she's hot!" Xben exclaimed, and the others came over to see.

"Hey, you're right!"

"She has pretty hair!"

"Sexxxy!" This last comment came from the XFish, of course, anyone else would have been really, really out of character.

"So… you understand now why Roxas is, uh… going to marry her now?" Shiguna asked Xben.

"Hell yes! I'd marry her!"

They continued discussing this as they started the game. XFish was Jigglypuff again, Xben and Dutchess were Link, and Shiguna was playing as Marth. They were battling at Hyrule Temple, of course, because it was pretty much everyone's favorite stage, and everyone was so mildly obsessive about it that they often had to take breaks every once in a while from it to go to… Corneria or someplace like that. Ugh.

"So… Xben… is Axel beauuuutiful enough for you to want to steal her away and leave Roxas at the altar?"

"Well, maybe… Roxas is my friend, but… She's really hot, so…"

"Even hotter than Xlauren?" Dutchess questioned.

"Yeah… I love Xlauren, but I think it's time to let go. I never had a chance, but I kept deluding myself in thinking that we could have something…" Ben continued moaning and groaning about how tragic his life was for a while.

When he was finished, Shiguna asked, for confirmation, "So you are considering swiping Axel away from Roxas?"

"Yeah. She might not be as beautiful in person, though, so I can't be sure."

"Okay, just checking. DIE! DIE DIE DIE JIGGLYPUFF DIE!" Dutchess yelled suddenly, with an awkwardly angry expression on her face.

"But… but I'm so adowable!" XFish said in mock outrage.

"First off, the whole point of the game is to kill everyone else. Next, you kept using that Rest attack, and whenever you use it, I die, but when I hit you, you just come back. Finally…" she paused to take a deep breath, "JIGGLYPUFF IS NOT ADORABLE AND YOU SAY THAT EVERY SINGLE TIME AND IT'S DRIVING ME INSANE!!!!!"

"Amen." Everyone agreed. XFish cried. Xeric tried to console him.

"Don't worry, they yell at me all the time…"

"With good reason," Xben clarified.

"Yeah, usually he's being an idiot."

"You're one to talk, Matt!" everyone yelled, except for Xeric, who was sad.

"Am I… Am I really so stupid that even you would turn on me? I thought you cared, Matt…" Xeric burst into tears and ran away.

"Nooooooo! Xeric!" Matt ran after Xeric. Everyone else simply continued playing the game, because it was simply more fun. Eventually Dutchess won, killing Xben with skill and an extreme amount of luck.

"… so… I guess we'll see you later…" Shiguna and Dutchess left. On the way out, they stole some delicious brownies and some Sunkist soda. Yay! It was delicious! They skateboarded back to the castle in the increasing dawn of twilight.

------------------

Matt had chased after Xeric and hugged him. "I'm sorry, Xeric. Can you ever forgive me?"

"No, I can't. I'm sorry, Matt, but it's over."

"Nuuuuuuuuu!"

---------------------------

Larxene was ready for her date with Luxord. They planned to see the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale. She was all shined up in a long denim skirt with a white top, and her favorite black heels and long knee-high socks. She decided to bring her wallet in case Luxord wasn't going to be a gentleman and pay for her. It happens. Although she was the one who had asked him out. But Luxord was sort of British-y, and British-y people tended to be quite proper and chivalrous, so if all went well, she could save money, see a movie, and make that Marly jealous, all at the same time. Score!

Larxene went off to the garage, where Luxord had a shiny Mercedes. It was red. Very bright. She met up with Marluxia along the way.

"So, Marly, what are you doing…?"

"Not much, how about you?"

"Oh, nothing much, just going on a date with Luxord. We're going to see Casino Royale."

Marluxia flinched slightly. So that was her game, eh? Well, he wasn't going to play. "All right, have fun. Eat some popcorn for me and tell me how much the movie sucked when you get back, okay?"

Larxene smiled. "Oh, I won't be watching the movie much…"

Marluxia shrugged. "That's too bad." Luxord came up onto the scene.

"Larxene, are you ready to go? I was planning on walking, if that's okay with you."

"Oh… well, I was thinking we'd drive, but that's okay…" Larxene forced herself to keep smiling. "It is quite a nice day, after all, and we can see the sights, talk a little." She took his arm, and they strolled off towards the exit. Marluxia watched them, chuckling slightly. Larxene had no real idea what she was getting herself into, did she?

Once they got to the theater, Luxord bought the tickets, two drinks, and a jumbo-sized popcorn for them to share. They walked into the slightly crowded theater and found a seat at the top of the room in the center.

The previews started, and Larxene took the opportunity to wrap her arm around Luxord's shoulders. Luxord didn't notice because there was a humongous explosion on the screen at that instant. "Blue meanies!" yelled XFish, who had come to the movies for some reason. A random heckler threw an empty popcorn tub at him, then picked it up off the floor and went for a free refill.

Larxene tried again. She leaned in and breathed on his neck, swiping some popcorn and eating it temptingly in his face. Luxord just kind of looked at her. The movie started for reals, and Larxene sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought.

----------------

Zexion was having fun on his romantic picnic with Demyx. Well, actually, he was kind of bored. Demyx insisted on acting childish and wanting to play kindergarten games with Zexion. After a while, Zexion left to go eat more of his sandwiches. He thought that he might get fat because they were so incredibly… fattening. Zexion was the type of person who ate when he was bored. He was emo, though, and it's against the laws of nature for emo kids to be fat. Because there's no reason to be emo if you're not going to be a pretty emo kid.

Zexion had finished the sandwiches off and was starting on the trail mix, which was a wonderful mixture concocted originally by Keselyx and Xiana and was world-famous, when Demyx ran up the hill and flung himself down next to Zexion, panting happily. "That was so much fun! I love you, Zexion. You're so nice."

"What do you mean, Demyx?"

"Well, I can kind of tell that you don't really want to be here, but you're still here for me, and that's great, just great. Do you wanna go do something else now? You can choose…"

Zexion thought for a while about something that would be entertaining for them both. "How about… we go out for ice cream, Demyx?"

"Sounds good! I want a baloney spumoni pepperoni macaroni zamboni sundae with a cherry on top!"

"You are a baloney spumoni pepperoni macaroni zamboni sundae with a cherry on top, silly." Zexion ruffled Demyx's hair affectionately.

Demyx squeaked joyfully and flung himself onto Zexion. "I love you!"

"H-hey… what's that for, now?" Zexion laughed, trying to push Demyx off. "Hey, come on now, we've got to be back later. We have to go to the Ice Creame Shoppe now if we want to get back before dark."

------------------

"I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!" Demyx sang, skipping merrily down the road toward the ice cream place.

"I don't scream, Demyx." Zexion was walking at a leisurely pace behind the bouncy teen.

Demyx stopped and slowly turned around. "You wanna bet, Zexy…"

Zexion continued walking. "No. Let's go now, come on."

"Okay…" Demyx fell into step beside Zexion. "I still think I can make you scream, though."

"I really have no idea why I'm asking you this, but what in the world do you think you could do to make me scream?"

"Well…" Demyx whispered several things into Zexion's ear. Zexion flushed a bright red color and looked away. "I didn't say what kind of screaming it would be…" Demyx teased, biting gently on Zexion's exposed ear.

Zexion shoved him away. "You're … really creepy, you know."

"But you love it. Come on, admit it."

"No. I most definitely do not like your creepiness. I just like Demyx. The nice person who loves me."

"Well, as long as you luuuuuuuuuve me, it's alright." Demyx hugged Zexion.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" asked Xiana from conveniently across the street.

"We're going to go get ice cream of luuuuuuuuuuuve!" Demyx explained.

"That's cool. So, you guys are coming to the wedding tonight, right?"

"W…edding?" Zexion asked confusedly. "Who's getting married? I haven't heard anything about a wedding…"

"Why, Axel and Roxas of course!" Xiana, Keselyx, Xian, and Demyx yelled.

"How did you know, Demyx?"

"I guessed. I figured it was either them two or Xemnas and Kingdom Hearts."

"That makes sense. Anyway… you guys should come! Because it's going to be awesome!"

"O…kay… I guess I'm going to just take Demyx to get ice cream." Zexion started to drag Demyx away.

"Matta! How fluffily clichéd!"

Zexion stopped. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm just saying, that ever since KH2 came out, we've had a tendency to use ice cream in provocative ways…"

"I…didn't…"

Demyx smirked at Zexion. "And you thought that I had a messed up mind."

"I didn't mean it like that… Come on, now, I wouldn't do something like that… right? Right?" Zexion asked desperately, glancing at the others across the street for support. He found none, of course.

"Of course, Zexion, I don't care that your mind is in the gutter, but you really shouldn't complain about me when the stuff you come up with is worse…"

"Are… are you really sure mine's worse, Demyx?" Zexion asked, remembering some of the things he had said before. "Besides, if you all feel that strongly about ice cream, we'll go get… pasta or something."

"As long as it's not sea-salt ice cream, it'll be fine… to some extent anyway. And pasta, Zexion? Are you trying to reenact that scene from 'Lady and the Tramp' when they're sharing a plate of spaghetti and they accidentally get the same string and kiss?" Xiana questioned, because of course she knew all about stereotypical romantic foods.

"How about, uh… pumpkin pie?"

Xiana sighed. "Yummy… But it reminds me of Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving reminds me of… Thanksgiving in a car…" She paused for a second and looked away. "You can't have my car, and I would suggest that you… try something else…" (1)

"Fine! Why is every food I like romantically cliché!" Zexion yelled.

"How about we go get some burritos?" Demyx suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good suggestion! And not clichéd at all, Demyx!" Xiana clapped. Demyx bowed.

"How'd you come up with that?" Zexion asked angrily. He asked angrily because no one wants to be clichéd and then shown up by _Demyx_.

"Guess!"

"Uh…" Zexion looked around. Behind him, he saw Big City Burritos. "Arrrr…. You cheated!"

Zexion and Demyx stood in the really long line, which wrapped around the whole street. It moved quickly, however, and before long, they were inside the warm room. Demyx ordered a potato burrito, no onions, ranch only, and Zexion got a regular jalepeño cheddar with rice, pinto beans, bay leaf chicken, and sour cream. Yummy! They found a table in the back of the crowded room and started peeling the foil back from the burritos.

Demyx was finished long before Zexion. Demyx was a growing boy, and everyone knows that emo kids eat really slowly. Zexion finally finished, after pulling the foil veeeery carefully off of the last bite. Demyx noticed a smudge of white at the corner of Zexion's mouth. "I guess this will have to be clichéd after all, Zexion," was what he said before leaning over to kiss Zexion's face clean.

--------------------------

Xiana, Keselyx, and Xian had to deliver many noticias a muchas personas. Spanish encounter! They had already been in some weird situations, but nonw more awkward than the current one.

"Hello, Madame LeRouge? We're here with an invitation from Roxas to his wedding."

"Ah, I see. So Axel said yes, den?"

"Mm-hm. He told us to be sure not to forget to invite you."

"So… I see you brought a boy wid' you… he yo' boyfriend?" Madame LeRouge asked, winking at Keselyx.

"NO!!!!" Everyone yelled, Xiana most of all.

"Ah, I see how it is. You, boy, come wid me." Madame LeRouge gestured imperiously and pulled Xian away into the other room.

Keselyx and Xiana stood there. "Ano… so we only have a few more things to deliver… Before, Roxas was saying that he didn't have many more people to invite, right? So does that mean that we can invite people on our own? We are invited, right? That means…"

"That I can call that one kid!" Keselyx pulled out her phone, which was black with a purple flame in the center.

"Shiny…"

"You say that every single time…"

"Because it is shiny…"

Keselyx chose not to respond and instead pushed the button that would call Kexaj. "Hey… you wanna go to a wedding? …Yes, fine, go ask your parents… What do you mean you're busy? Too bad, you're coming whether you like it or not!… Oh, you can go? That's cool. Feel free to disregard that last remark. All right, see ya!" Keselyx hung up the phone. "He can come! Isn't that great?"

"Yeah!" Xiana and Keselyx jumped up and down for a few minutes… until Madame LeRouge returned with Xian.

"Xian I love you you're so CUUUUUUTE!!!!!!!" Xiana screeched and flung herself upon the poor boy.

Keselyx was somewhat more restrained. "Uh… Xian… why are you wearing that?"

"I really don't know…" he replied quite honestly. (Truly, in all sincerity)

"It doesn't matter. I love love love you! KAWAII!!!" Xiana was still going crazy. "Wait, I know!" She pulled out her cell phone and started taking pictures of Xian in his outfit. It was nice. He looked like a French maid, feather duster and all.

"Heheh…" Xiana smirked. "Today is the best day ever!"

---------------------

Today was most certainly not the best day for Larxene. Luxord hadn't seemed to care, no matter what she did. She expected it would be normal, considering that it was a gambling sort of movie, which Luxord could really get into. That explained it.

They were starting to walk home, and it was getting darker outside. They had to hurry up and run because the wedding would be starting soon. When the castle was in sight, they slowed down enough that they could talk. "So…" Larxene was the first to break the silence. "Did you have fun? Tonight?"

There was a pause before Luxord responded. "Yeah, I've had fun, but… I can't help wondering…" He paused for an even longer period of time. "Why… did you do this? You've never shown any interest in me before… so are you doing this because you like me? Or are you doing it for someone else?"

Larxene looked away. Luxord understood her. He knew that what she had been thinking about during their entire date had been nothing more or less than what it would be like going on the same date with Marluxia. The way that they would eat the sweet, salty popcorn together, how they would wrap their arms around each other, the way they'd laugh at the stunning pyrotechnics. Everyone likes explosions! ("Blue Meanies!")

She missed Marluxia. She really did. Now her plan was failing, and all she had left was the ghost of a hope, a "favor" that Marluxia had promised her.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm sorry, Luxord. I don't mean to drag you into this. It really is between me and Marlu, so… I guess I just wanted to do something. You knew Xanare. I don't want to be hurt again. I like Marluxia, but he doesn't like me. I was searching for someone solid and strong, like you… Luxord…" she trailed off and blinked sweetly at Luxord. She had been close to revealing the whole thing, to tell him just how much she really couldn't care less for him (except his money), and that she was only trying to make Marluxia jealous. Her conniving nature had won out again, and she suddenly felt like laughing, just laughing from the sheer absurdity of her whole situation. She was the only girl in a group of 13 people isolated from the rest of the world, and she couldn't get any of the straight guys to fall for her. And two of the gay ones were getting married that night. Ha-ha… ha… There was really nothing to laugh at, but that didn't stop her from having to cover her mouth to block off the laughter that constantly threatened to bubble out of her for the rest of the walk home. It reminded her of a quote from one of her favorite books, The Vampire Lestat. _"My worst problem was laughter. I would go into fits of laughter and I couldn't stop. Anything could set me off. The sheer madness of my own position might set me off."_

She finally gave into the pressure and laughed, and laughed, and laughed until she cried when Axel stumbled out of the dark, closely pursued by a girl waving two swords dangerously around. "Okay, okay, calm down! I'll choose, um…" Axel's eyes darted around desperately and finally landed on the silent two walking up to the castle. "Whoever that is can be the best man!" he pointed into the darkness.

And of course, Larxene started laughing because he had pointed at her. She was the one female among 12 males, and here she was, chosen to be the best man at a wedding of two guys. Her life was suddenly the funniest thing in the world to her, and she fell to the ground, clutching at her sides as she laughed away the events of her terrible day.

-----------------

Now then, Toshi, Infinity, and Jenna had formed one more team to deliver a grand letter of invitation to Godzilla. One may ask, why would Roxas want to invite Godzilla to his wedding? There were only two answers.

First of all, he really didn't know many people, and there were so many people that wanted to help that he eventually had to start making stuff up. Godzilla probably wouldn't mind.

Next, when he had to start making up people, he chose Godzilla on the grounds that Godzilla was a twenty-storey tall lizard, and as such would be able to get quite a nice present for them. Although, there might be a problem with feeding him. And what if he (Godzilla, not Roxas) got drunk? Roxas had weighed the pros and cons and decided he would rather risk a drunken Godzilla than fangirls with nothing else to do. And that was why Toshi, Infinity, and Jenna were currently outside the lair of Godzilla.

One may also ask, isn't Godzilla's lair in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? Well, Godzilla does indeed live there, but he has a convenient summer home, located Over There Somewhere. The name may seem questionable, but Xemnas was just in a bad mood that day when he was off… naming things that already had names. Indeed, the scenic, idyllic lake was once named Loch Zilla, after the legendary creature that was said to live there four of the twelve months a year. Xemnas had first changed it to Lake Lachrymose, on the grounds that the previous name was too similar to something already in existence, and was then sued by a mysteriously depressing man by the name of Lemony Snicket. Fortunately, he had finished the thirteenth and final book in his popular series of thirteen books before this case was brought to session, for Mr. Snicket. Had quickly dropped the charges after a few traumatizing incidents mostly involving pruning shears, wet towels, and a sheep or two. He cried afterward.

Xemnas then decided to name it Buttery Meadow, after his favorite sheep that had somehow gone missing (A pair of shears and some towels were suspected, but charges were never pressed), but this was rejected on the grounds that it was a stupid name. Xemnas cried.

The next suggestion had been, The Lake of Forlorn Despair, though this was rejected because, as Larxene stated, "We've already got one of those. And we aren't changing it to 'The Laundry Room of Uncoolness-ness' just so you can name that damn lake." The next suggestion, of course, had been, 'The Lake of Uncoolness-ness just so you can name that damn lake.' That had lasted for all of 10 seconds before Xemnas had started a contest to name the lake. Among the suggestions were, 'The Lake of Sorrow', 'Cotton Candy Lake', 'Lake of DOOM!', and 'Sugary Happy Rainbow Lollipop Land of Sweet Fluffy Love and Admiration and Peace and Joy!' The big box had over 180,641 (and in fact it was really 180,642) suggestions when Xemnas had declared the contest over and forced Roxas to find the top 10 suggestions and bring them to him. Roxas cried. (Well, he didn't, but we can pretend.)

The next day, Axel returned from an amazing mission that he had been conveniently on while all of this had been happening. Of course, he wanted Roxas to come play with him, and so was quite furious when he learned that Roxas was unavailable on account of his having to find the top ten of 180,642 suggestions and being quite depressed. Axel burst into the room like a prince to save his luvvely Roxy-princess. Although he seemed more like a fairy godmother at the time. So he burned the box full of paper, and most of Roxas' bed with it. So, he was more of a pyromaniac prince. Or a pyromaniac fairy godmother. Hm. Awkward. And that was the story of how Roxas got a brand new comfy bed that was perfect for snuggling with Axel. Though they didn't find this out until later. But I digress. After the Box-Burning Incident of Justice (as Axel called it), there was much discussion of what to call it. The lake, not the incident. The townspeople were for changing it back to Loch Zilla, many others wanted Monster Lake, and Saïx wanted 'Sugary Happy Rainbow Lollipop Land of Sweet Fluffy Love and Admiration and Peace and Joy!' Through some method, Saïx won. Xemnas was happy! The townspeople cried.

But one day, a warrior rose in the newly named town of Honey Mint White Caramel Fudgeflake with Melty Butter and Syrup and Whipped Cream on Top(2). His name was Xeb. Then he went back to bed because he was still sleepy. The townspeople cried again.

Eventually, enough people complained that Xemnas was forced to change the name. Xemnas was angry! He said, "Why does everyone care so much! It's just some place over there somewhere!" And thus, Godzilla's lake got a new name.

One might now say, "It's not summer! Why is Godzilla here!?" An angry author might conveniently respond, "Why do you ask so many questions? GAH!" But the answer to this question would be that there is no set period during which the story takes place, except that it spans a week. Let us pretend it is mid-summer. Axel and Roxas were swimming a few days ago, after all. If any of you are still bothered, maybe it can be early fall. Or just say Godzilla felt like coming here this week. No more questions will be tolerated.

We last left our intrepid heroines standing outside Godzilla's lair. Yes, it's underwater. Deal with it.

"Hey, we can breathe down here! I wonder why!" Toshi mentioned.

"It's probably because the author doesn't want to write another page or two about why we can!" Infinity guessed.

"Hey, maybe we should deliver this letter now…" Jenna commented. They worked together to ring the doorbell, which was 204 feet up. They eventually needed to hire a jumbo forklift. The forklift was even too short, so they had to stand on top of the forklift and jump to get anywhere. Eventually Jenna managed to hit it.

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONGGGGGGGGGG chimed a bell.

After a few minutes, a huge lizard twenty storeys tall answered. "Graaaah Grarg Garoo!" Godzilla moaned. ("What do you want?")

"Yes, sorry to disturb you, but we're here with an invitation from Roxas. He's shiny and wants to invite you to his wedding."

"Gargh Gergleh gambrarrr!" ("Roxas? I love that kid! He is shiny!") The giant monster paused for a second. "Geraghhar arharra!" ("Wait… married? To whom? I always thought he was more into guys myself…")

"Gahblah Gablah aglahbar!" Infinity replied, intending to say something along the lines of, "Of course he is! And he's marrying Axel! Is there a law that says two guys can't get married?" but instead saying something more along the lines of, "The demonstrative principles of broadsword descriptivity have moisturized my socks!"

"Gargaroo rooranrar? Argar Burgaa!" ("I often have the same problem myself. Oh, where are my manners? I apologize. Come on in!") Everyone followed Godzilla into his huuuuuge house. Godzilla took a seat in his huge recliner chair, and the girls sat on the floor.

"Anyway… yeah, so he's marrying Axel. It's going to be a pretty awesome wedding. Are you going to come?"

"Grmmm…" Godzilla shuffled off, which was slightly awkward and caused several miniature earthquakes. He checked his super-monster!-sized calendar, which had many pictures of puppies and kittens frolicking in a meadow. "Gurah! Gurharr Arugarrra Rarraru!" ("It's tonight, right? I'll come!")

"Cool, see ya." The girls left, leaving the letter of invitation on the ground.

"So, what do we do now?" Toshi asked the world in general, strolling out of the monstrously huge vacation home.

"Guh…"

"Infinity, haven't you learned by now that you can't speak Godzilla-ese?" She turned to see the other two clutching at their throats and gasping for air. "Oh. You just realized that we cannot, in fact, breathe underwater, didn't you?" They nodded. "Crap."

--------------------------

Xiana: Well, that was a pretty cool chapter if I do say so myself. I like it quite a lot. Finals make me angry, because they're the reason I couldn't update for a long time!

(1) So there's this kid Paul, in our English class, and when we were talking about descriptive words, he used the word "amorous" to describe Thanksgiving. Later we read a story during which… something… happened in a car. Paul also used the word "amorous" to describe this as well. Thus, Thanksgiving in a car.

(2) Name swiped unapologetically from Magical Starsign.

Next chapter: Final chapter! And… the wedding!


	27. It Ended With:

Xiana: Oh, this is the last chapter. I'm sort of sad. Sorry it took an obscenely long time to put this chapter up. There is a citrus-y scene near the end, so that is your warning for the day. Don't worry. You'll know when it's coming.

This chapter is dedicated to:

Everyone who took the time to read this story.

Everyone who put it on favorites or alerts.

Everyone who reviewed. (**Onemoreparadise, blackkeyblade, Kitsune Bara, Fushica, Rae and Arakni, AnimeDutchess, Ramen Ichiraku, Keselyx Meeko Lyszerxon, Tunaxpenguin, Toshi-Ama, TapiocaTacos, Shiguna, lunarxshinobi, AeroFlux, Shadow of Darkness 22, StringynKel, artspaz, xxOathkeeper, ASKInfinity, Ookami Aya, **roxie**, Vampiremist, Havgirl1, tsuki yamano, Raevyn1313, AlphaCentauri009, **Xalex, **fire-emblem-girl, bluemoonalchemist, ph33r teh carebear, GothicSuicide, mosesdork7289, HitomiLoveless, TeleIce, crazed yaoi fangirl, SetsuntaMew, rikuprincess, BloodSkye, Equestrian-Lily, **Xemagirl, **Alias-Hawk, Shadowrisen, echi, Silver1Sun, Darkness in the Valley, LuneNoirTreize, kinex – part of organization 14, **Yexis, **Vampiremist, ghostsofanime, kogalover38, Maki Totakiyami, KHLovers, Shadow-Phoenix808, PS2games-lady, n0tan0therdemyXfangurl, XxDemonic AngelxX**)

**Keselyx **for being awesome.

**Kitsune Bara **for being my most faithful reviewer! Wow!

**Shiguna** for having amazing reviews that make me laugh. Always. But you sure do die a lot in them…

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has ever ever been mentioned in this story, except myself, of course, and the idea. But if you wanna buy it, I can make a deal with you…

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It ended with… 

The guests were slowly filing in and taking their places, picking up a schedule of the wedding on the table. Some crazy girl (named Keselyx) had said that at some wedding that she had gone to there were programs about the wedding there. Not wanting to offend anyone, wanting to be politically correct, and really knowing nothing at all about weddings in general, Roxas had agreed.

Everyone was seated, and a newcomer, Holly/Lyhxlo, who just so happened to be an ordained minister that Kel had found along the side of the road, took her place with the giant book of weddings. Axel took his place at the altar thing, and the official wedding band, Trouble? With the Danceclub, started playing random songs. The guests talked amongst themselves, all dressed up in their shiniest clothes. When the door opened, the band immediately shifted into the wedding march, which was full of perfect fourths, bu the way, which guys can apparently never sing.

As Roxas started up the aisle, followed by Yumi, Breeze, and Infinity, everyone looked at him in awe. The girls had made him look really pretty. His lips were painted a bright red, his eyes were lined with black, and his face shone with a bright light although it was cast down demurely below the dark veil.

Xeric was confused. "Wait… I thought Axel was a girl… but Roxas is the one in the dress…"

Xben, of course, was always ready to comment. "She sure does look hot, though. I mean, she's sort of flat, you know, but you know, that isn't all that matters to me. I mean, check out those hips…" Xben stared unabashedly at Axel. It was pretty… awkward.

Shiguna finally couldn't take it anymore. She leaned forward to hiss, "Axel's a guy, you idiots," under her breath.

"Gasp!" the two gasped. They then fainted. No one really noticed and/or cared, because XFish was still at the movies. He had discovered that every time he yelled, "Blue Meanies!" at an explosion in a movie, people threw stuff at him, which on the whole was very entertaining. It was also made more fun by the fact that the only things people really had to throw at him were food, drinks, and money (although one guy threw a random PS3 at him before leaping out of his seat and smashing it with a sledgehammer as the people who had been living in tents outside The Store gasped in horror, although they didn't know why at the time.). Matt, of course, was still so depressed over Xeric that he was seriously considering suicide. But he wasn't pretty enough to even pretend to be an emo kid, so he gave up and played DDR alone in his basement for the rest of his life. So it was a happy endidn after all!

Roxas floated delicately up the steps to stand beside Axel, red roses in hand. Holly/Lyhxlo cleared her throat and started the service. As she talked on and on about all this marrying stuff, Axel shifted closer to Roxas. "Love you, Roxy. You're so pretty."

"Well, you don't look too bad yourself!" Roxas responded.

"Of course. Come on, you only love me 'cuz I'm beautiful, right?" This would usually have been the time for Roxas to respond in either a sarcastic manner or in a sweet way (Axel sort of preferred the sweet way), but this time it wasn't because they were just getting to the end part of the ceremony.

"Do you, Axel, take Roxas to be you lawfully wedded… wife?"

"I do!" Axel smiled.

"And do you, Roxas, take Axel to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Hell yes!"

"Uh… okay… you may now kiss the bride." Axel needed no more motivation than this to wrap his arms around Roxas and kiss him passionately in front of the entire audience of people. The kiss went on for quite a few minutes. After all, they had not seen each other at all today, except for that part in the hospital room, which to them didn't count.

When they were finally finished kissing, the group of people invited applauded and went outside to stand in two columns as Roxas and Axel walked between them, arm in arm. The people blew bubbles; they didn't throw rice because Xigbar had been deeply traumatized after an incident in Vegas involving a wedding, rice, and an Elvis impersonator that had led to his needing to wear an eyepatch for the rest of his days, and which gave him an unnatural fear of rice (although he was just fine with weddings and Elvis impersonators.

Roxas and Axel led the way to the huge dining hall, which was where the reception was going to be held. The celebration started with everyone taking a seat at the long, wide table, where a festive meal was served. Axel and Roxas sat next to each other at the head of the table, and were mostly too busy gazing deeply into each other's eyes to eat much. They did turn aside to feed each other some of the yummy sesame chicken, and many people described the sight as completely sappy, but still sweet.

The appetizers were spring rolls and crab cheese wontons, the main courses ranged from tacos to sesame chicken to fries of darkness (Xemnas named them, and as everyone knows, Xemnas is allergic to France.), and champagne was served when every new course was brought out. Toasts to anyone and everyone rang out periodically. By the time dessert came around, everyone was cheerfully drunk, especially Zexion and Larxene. Zexion was not a heavy drinker, and as he was continually forced to imbibe with each successful toast, he was hit particularly hard by this. Larxene drank most of her glass at every new toast. It dulled her nerves and her manipulative, over-analyzing mind was content to shut down for a while, to stop thinking about her romantic failures if favor of gorging herself of crab cheese wontons. Eventually, she noticed everyone seemed to be looking at her expectantly, and she realized that, as the 'best man,' she was supposed to make some sort of speech. She giggled slightly and banged her knife against her glass, accidentally breaking it so that it shattered.

"Oops, heheh…" She attempted to stand, but was forced to lean on Xemnas for support. "Oops, sorry there, Xemmy. Everyone, lissen up! I'm the besht man at this wedding, so I gotta make a speech! Now then, how about that wedding, eh?" Everyone applauded, and she attempted to bow, though she almost fell and had to pull herself off of Xemnas.

"Sorry again, there, Xemminator! Annnnywaysh, I guess I'm s'posed a give these guys some advice to start their happily married lives… happily. I gotta say, I don't have so much 'sperience in that area. I'm just not so good at choosing men around here, y' know? Anyway, I guess… always stick together, you two. Don't let anyone come between you. You should only argue if you're going to argue cutely, and you should always try to get assigned to missions together, no matter what. I mean, especially the long ones, the ones that last many nights. I guess what I'm saying is, we all want you to be together, and we all really want you guys to be having sex, so just keep loving each other. Keep pretending that you have hearts. Hell, quit the Organization and go on a quest to find them. Only, find them in each other when you get back." Larxene's long speech moved many to tears, including Axel and Roxas.

"Oh, Roxy-chaaaaaan, say you won't leave me!" Axel cried.

"Of course I won't Aku-chaaaaaaan! I love you too much to bear the thought of you ever leaving my side," Roxas reassured him.

"My love is requited!" Axel smiled.

"Of course, don't you know that my love burns for you with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns!" Roxas declared dangerously, pulling Axel into a long embrace.

Xiana and Keselyx watched all this from over where they were by the petting zoo. There was a petting zoo there because crazy Keselyx had told Roxas that there were, in fact, no petting zoos at any of the previous weddings she had been too, but that there should have been. Roxas, not caring much at the time, had agreed on the grounds that it could be far away in That Corner Over There That is Far Away From Everything Else (Xemnas named it), it would keep them away from his beautiful Axel (Roxas hugged Axel even tighter, so much so that he accidentally knocked Axel off his chair and landed on the floor on top of him from that very thought), and because he wanted Keselyx to be entertained. The fate of the world, and therefore his and Axel's fates, rested on it.

"I think that these guys have had a bit too much to drink…" Xiana mentioned, looking over to see Roxas lying on top of Axel and kissing him playfully as Axel tried to get back up and hold the embrace at the same time.

"Yeah… But I had 12 cups and I'm not drunk at all!" exclaimed Xian, who was petting a goat over by the petting zoo.

"That's because we gave you kid's wine so that you wouldn't get drunk," Xiana explained. For reasons as yet unknown to everyone, sparkling cider was known as 'kid's wine' around these parts.

"Ooooohhh! Goat!" Keselyx raced over to the poor goat, which was sort of traumatized for some reason. Xiana thought it might have something to do with the fact that there was a bonfire, which had already claimed the lives of several small animals who had tried to escape their confines. They had run into the flames, and were now on their way to the Big Philadelphia Zoo in the sky.

"Hey guys!" Demyx came over and sniffed the air. "Hey, it smells like roasted llama around here! That's kind of yummy sounding. But hey, isn't it convenient that this dining hall just so happens to be outside?"

"Yeah!" everyone agreed. It really was convenient. If it had been an indoor dining area, everyone would have been asphyxiated from the smoke of the bonfire.

"Hey, why is there a bonfire here anyway?" Zexion asked curiously. Most surprisingly, he was wearing a long purple skirt.

"Hey, Zexion, why are you wearing a long purple skirt?" Demyx responded. It had seemed like a good comeback at the time.

"Because I was forced to wear it by you. Which raises the question of why you had a 'long purple skirt' in your closet in the first place."

"Oh, sorry, it seemed like a good comeback at the time. And I call it lavender!"

"Or is it lavendar!?" Keselyx interjected.

"No, it's lavender. Sorry."

"But you just called it purple…" Xiana was ignored.

"Will you please answer my question now, Demyx?"

"I bought it on the Internet! Well, I didn't really buy it; it came free with my paid order!"

"And… what were you ordering?" Xiana asked out of boredom.

"I was ordering… Millions of peaches! Peaches for me! Millions of peaches! Peaches for free!" Demyx sang before pausing. "Actually, I had to pay for them, so they weren't really free…"

"So you just kept the dress? And why were you ordering millions of peaches anyway?"

"That's not a good question, Zexion! A much better question would be where did the peaches come from?" Demyx complained.

There was a short pause before Zexion asked, "Well, where'd the damn peaches come from, Demyx?"

"Peaches come from a can! They were put there by a man! In a factory downtooooooown!" Demyx sang.

"That's great. Now, would you mind answering my question for once?"

"Yes."

"Okay, so, what's your answer?"

"I just did answer one of your questions."

"No, you didn't. You just said you would answer one of them."

"No, you asked if I would answer one of your questions. I said 'yes,' thereby answering your question. You never asked me to answer more than one of these questions of yours, and thus I was not lying when I said I answered one of your questions." Demyx smiled triumphantly. "Logic wins again!"

"…Or not."

"Hey guys! Some random girl is trying to steal my turtle!" Kexaj yelled. (He had been trying to coax a turtle out of its shell so he could play with it throughout the entire conversation.)

"That's no random girl! That's my freakishly turtle-obsessed sister Taixklyn!" Xiana yelled.

"Gasp!" everyone else gasped.

Kexaj lost his grip, and Taixklyn ran off with the turtle, laughing evilly.

Everyone watched her leave with blank expressions on their faces. Everyone except for Zexion, that is. Zexion had just realized something. He turned to Demyx.

"Demyx, I think I've seen that girl before…"

"Where did you see her, hunny-bunny?" Demyx hugged Zexion happily.

"Well, I didn't see her… but I definitely heard her…"

"Yes… but where, dearest?"

"When I was avoiding you way back when, and I heard… a mysterious figure singing an ode to me…"

"You mean way back in Chapter 4?" Xiana asked eagerly. The others stared at her. "I mean… like, if this whole tale of our lives was written down somewhere, that probably would have happened sometime during Chapter 4, right?"

No one had anything to say to her about this.

"Well, I guess it sure is convenient that we tied up that loose end, right?" questioned Demyx.

"Yes indeedy, Demy!"

"Hey, so, does anyone know why there is a bonfire here?" Zexion asked again.

There was another long silence. "Uh…" Zexion was starting to feel quite sick from alcohol poisoning. "I, uh, guess I'll take that as a no…" he gulped before running off to the nearest bathroom to throw up. Demyx ran after him, looking quite concerned.

"Zexy, are you okay? Are you sick? Are you injured? Are you dying? DON'T DIE!"

"So, why is there a bonfire there?" Xian asked, seemingly at random.

"Well, I'd be happy to explain…"

------------------

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…er, wedding reception, it was time to open wedding presents.

"Hey, I wanna open this one, 'kay, Axel?"

"Okay, go ahead. I call the next one, though."

Roxas squealed and dived chibi-ishly into the huge pile of presents. "Looky! This one is really shiny!" It was a small, flat box, but the wrapping paper was silvery and purply and black-ily and most of all, shiny! (Shiny was the theme of the whole wedding, of course.)

"Hey, Roxy, why'd you decide to make 'shiny' the theme of the wedding?" Axel asked curiously.

"Uh, Keselyx was advising me on weddings, because I planned this whole thing without really knowing anything about them, and she said that weddings always have to have a theme. So, for a while, we tried to come up with a theme, but we were having a really hard time. She said it should be Christmas or something, but I disagreed! So we thought again for a really long time. But in the end, 'shiny' was all we could come up with…" Roxas was now shaking the shiny box, apparently trying to guess what was inside.

"Just open it already, Rox… And that's sort of cool, a nice easy theme like shiny… But there still is some Christmas stuff here! Look! Look!" Axel pointed to across the room, where a very drunk Saïx was attempting to dance with an inflatable Santa.

"Actually, that was a gift from Keselyx. The card said that she found in on the ground in Halloweentown, aka 'Nightmare-Before-Christmas-land,' and thought it would make a perfect gift for us."

"What are we going to do with an inflatable Santa?' Axel asked curiously.

"I…dunno. We could… sell it on eBay?"

"Yeah! Sounds like fun!"

"Hey, I'm gonna open this thing now!" Roxas ripped open the shiny paper, thereby destroying all its shiny-ness, to reveal a pretty necklace. "Wow, it's a pretty necklace!" Roxas said, only semi-redundantly.

"There's a note," Axel noted.

"It says, 'Dear Axel and Roxas, I saw this necklace in the super-amazing Sundance jewelry catalog the other day. It was really, really expensive. I hope you like it! If you don't, you should give it to me! I think, personally, that it would look better on Roxas, but you could wear it too, Axel. The other day, I was at the mall when I saw a pair of earrings that would look absolutely adorable on Axel! Actually, there were two really nice ones. The first was blue star studs. I don't know why I think they'd look good on you, but they would. I also saw these two that were the dangly kind. I'm sure there's a proper name for them, but I don't know it right now. Anyway, they were these two little orbs filled with this blood-red stuff, and they would look good! So I bought you those, too. And then I bought some for Roxas that were the same time, except silver. You guys should come to The Mall with me sometime and get your ears pierced, okay? The other day, I was playing Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, and I got a new egg. Keselyx was there and she took it to the Fortuneteller after the chao hatched, and it was a pink chao. So after the Fortuneteller lady suggested some really weird and bad names, she said "Roxy." So we named the chao Roxy, and we made an evil plan to get another chao, when there's a new color of egg at the store, and we were going to name it "Axel." Or "Axely." And then we decided we would try and have the two chaos mate, just because we thought it would be hilarious. It would be, right? I bet you guys are laughing right now. Enjoy your present! With mucho love and sincerity, Xiana.'" Roxas finally finished the letter.

"So, it really wasn't much of a note," Axel noted.

"Yeah, it was really long and completely random. But the present was nice."

"So, uh, what was that about mating chaos of us together?"

"Actually, I was hoping we could forget that part…"

"Fair enough. Hey, my turn to choose a present!" Axel grabbed a big box and tore into it gleefully. "Hey, it's a PS3! Sweetness!"

"Kill it! Make it die! Use a sledgehammer!!!!" Roxas yelled before refocusing on the situation at hand. "I mean… that's a cool gift…"

"What was that about, Roxy?"

"I think I was accidentally channeling the spirit of this guy who bought a PS3 and then went outside the store and was all, 'Hey, I got a PS3' to the people who were waiting outside still to get one and then he took out a sledgehammer and beat it into oblivion."

"I… see…"

"Hey, what's with this present? It isn't shiny at all!" Roxas complained, showing a battered cardboard box to Axel. He opened it to reveal a pair of sunglasses with one lens missing and a note… from Matt.

_Dear Roxas (and Axel, who I don't know but am sure is quite a lovely girl),_

_I am unable to come to the wedding on account of being depressed and uncool enough to be emo, and thus needing to go to therapy. I hope you are happy. This is something I found in the dumpster outside Keselyx's house. As you may or may not know, I go dumpster diving there every Saturday. And Monday. And Friday. And- Aw, heck, I'm there every day. But it was really funny because she was pretending to be an Amish rapper when one of the lenses to this fell out. She was angry then, so she threw them out the window and they hit me in the head. Taking this as a sign from God, I decided to send it to you in the hopes that it brings you as much luck as it has brought me._

_Sincerely, Matt_

"So… We burn it?"

"Yes. We burn it." They left off their gift-opening just long enough to walk over to the bonfire and throw the whole thing in without ceremony. Thereby justifying the reason for the bonfire's existence.

"So… wait. Did that…thing really say that I was quite a lovely… girl?" Axel wondered.

"That was what it said. I guess that guy somehow thought that you were a girl, Axel…"

"But… why would anyone ever think that?" Axel asked, completely mystified.

"I… don't know… I guess they might think I was, since I'm wearing the dress, but I really don't know why they'd think you were…" Roxas thought about it. "Nope, nothing."

"I'm not… really like a girl, am I?" Axel asked, sort of worried.

"No, not at all. You're the manliest man I know, Axel." Roxas kissed Axel reassuringly on the cheek.

"Ohhhhh yeah. I'm all man, baby, and I'll prove it to you tonight."

"You sound like it's a foregone conclusion that you'll be on top. Which reminds me, where are we sleeping tonight, anyway?"

"Well, your fate was sealed the moment you put on that dress. Which, by the way, is so sexy it makes me want to rip it off of you. I dunno. Your bed is sort of big and comfy, but mine's pretty cozy. You can choose, since it's going to be where you lose it, y'know…"

"Thanks. I think. Hold your horses, we still have to do more dancing and cake and bouquet and presents first… And I guess I like your bed better."

"Then it's decided. Let's get through the rest of this quick, 'kay Rox?"

"All right. But I think it's only fair that I get to be on top the next two or three times in a row."

"One and a half, maybe. If you're lucky. But right now we have to finish up these presents! Faster!"

---------------------------------

Over in the bathroom, Zexion was busy throwing up all the food he had eaten –and all the champagne- in front of Demyx. Demyx wasn't really sure what to do, but he sat down on the floor next to Zexion and started rubbing his back. Zexion eventually began to feel better.

"Bleargh… Thanks, Demyx… Guess I had a bit too much to drink…" Zexion leaned back so that he was resting in Demyx's arms.

"It's fine, my lovely! If I can see you at your weakest, then doesn't that mean you finally accept me and that you love me?"

"Hmmm." Zexion had to think about it for a second. _'I… don't exactly feel comfortable, having him see me this way… But… I'm not really… trying to hide anything, like I would if … if it were anyone besides Demyx here. I think I love him, I really do, but I sort of expected… more of an epiphany or something. Like suddenly everything would be different because I could finally decide that I was in love with him. So… am I in love with Demyx?'_

'_Hmmmm, that is a problem. You just have to…Listen to your heart! When he's calling for you! Listen to your heart! There's nothing else you can do! I don't know where you're going, and I don't know why, but listen to your heart! Before… you tell him goodbyeeeeee!' _Koyama sang.

'_Koyama… we still don't have hearts… and that song really didn't have much to do with anything, because no one's leaving anyone else… I guess you're right though, somehow.' _

"Demyx, I think… I think I love you. I know I said I did before, but… now I'm a whole lot more certain. I just… I just… How do you know… when you're in love?"

"Hmmm, well mostly it has to do with seeing someone, and like, wanting to protect them from others. Wanting to be sure they aren't going to be hurt by anyone, not even you. I guess it also has something to do with… I dunno, just liking them a whole bunch and wanting to be around them… but I think that pure, true love comes only when the person you like reciprocates your feelings. So what Axel and Roxas have is love. They really like each other, and they want to spend lots of time together, and want to protect and be protected from harm. But it's because they both feel that way that I can say, without a doubt, that those two really do love each other. So I guess… if you… don't really like me, then… I guess I can't love you," Demyx thought aloud. He tightened his grip around Zexion. "I don't want to give up my love for you. It's like… my reason for existence or non-existence or whatever. It's you. It's always been you for me."

"That's…" Zexion looked at Demyx carefully. He didn't show any signs of lying, but… On the whole, Zexion tended to believe him. But… what would this mean, exactly? Zexion got up, lightly pulling away from Demyx's tight grasp to get a drink of water from the sink. When he returned, he pulled Demyx off the floor to join him. They stood looking at each other for a second before Zexion felt compelled to speak. "Demyx. This is sort of hard for me to say. I've been hard on you in the past, and you… still… loved me… I think that… that I love you too. I'm going to keep trying. To find a heart. So I can love you with it. So, uh, thanks. I, heh, would kiss you right now, but you probably don't want that…"

"Yeah! You were just over there puking your guts out! Nasty!" Demyx's expression softened. "Hey, thanks, though, Zex. It really does mean a lot to me, just knowing that you're trying to care. Um… are you feeling healthy enough to get back to the party now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." They walked out together to rejoin the festivities, though Zexion made sure to avoid the alcohol this time.

----------------------------

Xemnas was angry. Sure, he was happy for Axel and Roxas, and he liked the food, but he had one major problem. His problem, of course, was with the party favors. The party favors at this wedding reception were all gum erasers. Now, Xemnas was usually all for these squishable erasers that could be molded into any shape required. He often used these himself when editing some of his collegiate work. (For reasons as yet unknown to himself, he always wrote his "Dissertations on Darkness" in pencil.) But there was something wrong with this particular gum eraser. That's right. This one was emo.

And there was the culprit, coming out of the girl's (!) bathroom with his evil, but non-emo, accomplice. "Zexion! Get over here this instant!"

Zexion complied fearfully, looking guiltier with every passing moment. "Yes, Xemnas, sir? What is it?"

"Don't play dumb with me! You… yes, you are the one who did this to my poor gum eraser! How could you? It had such a happy life before, but now… Now it has nothing to look forward to but pain and bad music!"

"Uh… I really have no idea what you're talking about…"

"Still trying to hide the truth, eh? Well, the truth is… YOU MADE MY GUM ERASER EMO!!!" Xemnas held up the gum eraser as evidence.

"Actually… I didn't."

"Well, who was it, then? The way I see it, you're the only one emo enough to do it…"

-----------------

Somewhere on the other side of the room…

"Mwahahahahhaha!"

"Why are you laughing evilly, Shiguna?"

"Just practicing."

----------------

"For the last time, I am not emo! I just happen to have a hairstyle that is remarkably similar to what others have defined to be emo! And I happen to like being alone with my deep inner pain! But I'm really just a regular, non-descript non-person who just so happens to not fit in with any social stereotype!" Zexion was trying to keep his cool. He hated when people called him emo. Except for Demyx, but that was a different story. Besides, Demyx partially liked him for his emo-esque appearance, and Zexion liked being liked. If that made any sense, that is.

"Eeeeeeeeeeemoooooo…"

"Gah! If I find out who really did it, will you stop?"

"…no…"

"I hate you."

"But because deep down in your emo little body, you hate yourself more. You have to be able to take these first steps of admitting your problem before you can once again become a functioning member of society."

"…" Zexion was silent for a second. "HEY! EMOS ARE PEOPLE, TOO!!!"

-----------------

Somewhere on the other side of the room…

"Mwahahahahhaha!"

"Why are you laughing evilly, Xiana?"

"Because I drew an emo face on Xemnas' gum eraser, and now he and Zexion are having an argument about emo-ness."

"Oh… that's cool…"

----------------

Axel and Roxas were almost finished with opening presents when they heard Zexion screaming something about emos being people. They laughed, of course, as one might do in such a situation. It was then that Axel noticed a box that had been overlooked before. "Hey… what's in this one?"

"I dunno. Open it." Roxas shrugged. He liked presents, but lazy Roxy hated writing thank you notes.

Axel pulled a ripped and tattered cloth out of the box with a flourish. "Tada!"

"Uh… what is it?"

"Roxy, you fool! Don't you know anything? It's a ghost cape, of course!" Axel couldn't resist trying it on. He looked sort of cute and chibi-ish, somehow.

"Wow… we should make that standard wear. It has a nice hood and everything, too!" Roxas was quite impressed. "Oh… you're such a lovely ghost…"

"Yeah… mere mortal! You alone of all the humans I've ever laid eyes on have neither shrank back in my presence nor run screaming in terror."

Roxas kissed Axel. "I ain't afraid of no ghost."

Suddenly, there was a huge commotion, and a random explosion came from outside. XFish, walking past, yelled "Blue Meanies!" but Nobody noticed. More specifically, it was Xigbar who noticed. Then, the Ghostbusters theme song started playing, and… the Ghostbusters arrived.

"Hey, I didn't invite you!" Roxas yelled angrily, striding forth to greet the newcomers with a frown.

"There's no time for this now, little girl! Just tell us where that ghost is so we can… bust him!" the leader yelled back. Catching sight of Axel, he quickly stepped forward, but stopped when he saw it was just a cloak. "Aw, man, not another one…" he complained, voice changing to a more childish squeak.

"What do you mean?" Axel inquired.

"We've been getting a lot of false alarms recently. Usually, some guest to a wedding gives a ghost cloak to the happily married couple, one puts it on, they joke, and in the end, the one not wearing it says 'I ain't afraid of no ghost,' which is our sign that there's trouble. Recently, we've taken to carrying wedding gifts around, just in case." The guy gestured to a lackey, who immediately pulled out a nicely wrapped box. Roxas opened it to reveal that it was the Ghostbusters movie on DVD.

"Uh, thanks…"

"Now… do either of you know who gave you this present?"

"Yeah…" Axel was struck by a sudden evil idea. "It was that guy over there!" he yelled, pointing to none other than Godzilla. (This was not true, of course, Godzilla had given them a toaster the size of two Roxases.)

"Really… that guy…" the leader's face blanched, but he quickly recovered. "All right, men, chaaaaaaaaaaarge!" They all ran at Godzilla, and were crushed a second later when Godzilla moved his foot slightly in an attempt to dance without killing the entire population of the world. Before they were crushed, leader-guy turned solemnly to Axel and Roxas. "I just want you to know… that there's no such thing as a chandelier ghost."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Axel yelled.

"Hey, that's one less thank you to write."

Axel quickly recovered from his shock at learning that chandelier ghosts didn't actually exist. "Roxas… you're so lazy…"

"But it just makes me a better person in the end. Because when I do do something, it has that much more meaning. Right, Aku-chaaaaaaan?" Not waiting for an answer, Roxas wrapped his arms around Axel and thrust his tongue into Axel's mouth. Axel only moaned and pulled Roxas closer. When Roxas finally moved away, he laughed to see the expression on Axel's face.

"See what I mean, Axel?"

"Yeah… I think I get it now…" Axel smiled before leaning down to kiss Roxas again. For a few moments, the two were unknowingly the center of attention, for they were so free and unguarded in this moment that even the most skeptical of onlookers was forced to admit that somehow, these two belonged together.

--------------------------

Larxene was still over at the table, eating tons of crab cheese wontons and imbibing copious amounts of champagne. She knew she'd feel like shit in the morning, but right now she had an excuse to forget her problems and to try to enjoy herself. She had just finished the tray of crab cheese wontons at her area of the table and was standing to go look for more when two strong hands pressed her back into her seat.

"Larxene, stop."

Larxene giggled and swiveled around to face her attacker. "Hiya, Mar-Mar!" A new song came on, and she stood, pulling Marluxia with her. "Dance with me, Mar?" Seeing him hesitating, a bit of the old conniving light came into her eyes. "Come on, Maru… This is my favorite song. Besides, it's not like it really means anything… see them over there?" Marluxia turned to see Roxas dancing with Zexion and Axel with Xigbar. "Not even Demyx is jealous. Besides… you haven't exactly been nice to me recently."

"Fine…" Marluxia reluctantly allowed himself to be dragged out onto the dance floor.

When the song ended, he even appeared to be having fun… well, just a little bit. "See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Larxene smirked, petting Marluxia on the top of his pinkish-brownish head.

"I guess not…" Marluxia admitted reluctantly.

"Mmm, crab cheese wontons!" And with that, Larxene disappeared, leaving Marluxia to wonder what had just happened… and why he somehow sort of missed Larxene.

------------------------

The rest of the night passed by in vague flashes of color, a phantasmagoria that showed the true nature of the evening. These images were pictures that would remain within the hears, non-hearts, and minds of all those involved.

For who could forget that moment when Zexion finally snapped and shoved the emo gum eraser down Xemnas' throat before stomping away to some corner with Demyx in tow? The two had made out passionately for what seemed like hours before returning to the party. From what Lexaeus saw, he secretly thought there had been a little bit more than that going on, but decided to simply sit back and observe from his place at the table. Zexion, Lexaeus figured, was an adult, and would have to be left to do whatever he wanted with Demyx. It was, after all, very dark in that corner… and Lexaeus could not be to blame if, say… a random helicopter flew down from the sky to shine a bright light down upon them. Although that would be a completely idiotic plot twist that would probably disappear into the ether with no real explanation as to where it had come from, where it had gone, or even just why it was there in the first place. Zexion and Demyx eventually returned to mingling with the others, though they gave Xemnas a wide berth.

Another touching moment was when the wedding cake was cut, and Axel and Roxas each gave each other the first bite, as was traditional among… such occasions. "It's good, right?" Roxas had asked, mouth still full of cake. Axel had responded, "Yeah… you mean you made it? I think I'm falling in love with you all over again." Roxas had yelled, "Oh, be quiet! You still do love me… at least you better…" before grabbing Axel and kissing him passionately. They somehow managed to get cake all over each other when they were finished, so of course, Axel felt that the best solution would be just to lick it all off of Roxas. In revenge, Roxas smooshed all of the cake left on his plate into Axel's face, and then began actually eating the chunks off. They then disappeared into the bathroom for just two minutes, and soon returned with mirthful expressions on their now-clean faces.

And when Roxas had thrown the bouquet out for any and all unmarried women to catch, it had of course been Zexion that had caught it, seemingly accidentally. Roxas took both Demyx's and Zexion's arms into one gloved hand each and led them over to a diminutive woman by the side of the room. "I'd like to introduce two to a friend of mine by the name of Madame LeRouge. I think she can help you…" Before leaving, he whispered, "Charge 'em double," in her ear. She cackled gleefully and rubbed her gnarled old hands together in anticipation.

And then there was that moment where Roxas decided he could not stand it any longer, just the whole festivity in general; he could not stand being around these others and he wanted only Axel. He had scampered over to where the DJ was still playing songs and whispered something into the guy's ear. He (the DJ) had immediately announced that this was the last dance, and that everyone should get out here on the dance floor with their loved one.

All around, couples formed seemingly out of nowhere, and could be found rotating slowly all over the room. Zexion rested his head on Demyx's chest while Axel and Roxas gazed at each other, enjoying the sway of the music that allowed them to move rhythmically together, Roxas sinking into Axel's firm but gentle grip.

Larxene didn't want to sit on the sidelines and watch. So she didn't. She got up and tapped the first guy she saw on the shoulder. It just so happened to be Marluxia. "Hey, Marluxia. Dance with me, you bum."

"Why." It was sort of a statement, and not a question.

"Because I feel like dancing, and you're the first person I saw. Besides, you owe me a favor, and I'm here to collect it. It's not even like I really like you anymore. I just don't want to be alone right now."

"Hm… so you've given up on me now that I seem to finally feel something for you?" Marluxia replied, still in a monotone. "How perfectly predictable."

"I don't care. Just dance."

"Very well." Marluxia placed his hands on Larxene's waist, and they joined the others.

When the dance ended, most couples held each other tightly for a few extra seconds before pulling away, but Axel and Roxas just clasped hands and strode out of the room, heading directly for Axel's room. Once there, Roxas groaned and threw his shoes off. "My feet are killing me!" he complained to his sympathetic… husband.

"Oh, Roxas, you need a foot massage?" Axel rubbed Roxas' feet, massaging out all the tension. Roxas leaned back, lying on the bed, once Axel was finished.

"Oh… I'm feeling quite faint… Please, kind sir, would you loosen up my dress for me?"

Axel shrugged off his jacket, kicked off his fancy shoes, and loosened up his tie before going to Roxas' assistance. His fingers deftly unwove the knotted stays, and Roxas pulled the dress off before dumping it unceremoniously onto the ground. He crawled beneath the aqua colored sheets, now wearing only a slip and a pair of boxers. It took a bit longer for Axel to pull off his formal, high-collared shirt, his black socks, and his pants before he switched off the lights and leaped onto the bed right where Roxas lay in comfort, effectively pinning him down. Roxas dove beneath the sheets, playfully trying to get away from Axel and to free himself. Axel growled and crushed Roxas down with the weight of his body. His arms slipped under the covers and started caressing Roxas, petting his blonde hair gently. Roxas eventually poked his head out from under the covers.

Axel slid the covers back and dropped down beside Roxas, lying only slightly on top of him. "What are you doing?' Roxas hissed.

"What are you talking about, Roxas?"

"Get back on top of me. Get on me, or I'll get on you," Roxas threatened.

"God, Roxas, dominatrix much?" Axel teased, but he evidently took the threat seriously, for he only took the time to pull the sheets up before settiling himself on top of Roxas properly.

"That's better…" Roxas let out a soft moan as Axel pinned his wrists down to the bed and kissed him hard. Roxas managed to free one arm and used it to push back Axel's tangled hair, which still stood out despite the darkness of the room. Axel hardly reacted, simply crashing his tongue between Roxas' slightly parted lips. They rolled around on the bed, tangling in the sheets and loosening the tight grip of their last few remaining clothes that kept them apart.

As time went on and they lay side by side, their kissing grew more erratic. Axel gently sucked on Roxas' neck, leaving marks that would remain in the morning, before brushing lightly up his cheek and starting a flurry or short little caresses on Roxas' eyelids. Roxas had his eyes clothes and was slowly tracing a path down the central line of Axel's chest, deviating only briefly form his course to gently place his mouth over each nipple, causing Axel to cry out and pull Roxas tighter, diminishing the distance still more so that there was virtually nothing between them.

Axel wrenched away from Roxas, feverishly pulling off the last of their apparel. Roxas looked up at Axel, slightly apprehensive, and Axel backed off slightly. "Are you okay, Roxas?" he asked, breathing heavily.

"Yes. I-I'm fine. Go ahead, Axel… I know you won't hurt me. You… you love me," Roxas gasped in return.

"Yes. I love you, Roxas." Axel lowered himself onto Roxas from the position he had previously taken to reassure him. He gently stroked the muscles of Roxas' calves and then his thighs before running his fingers lovingly over Roxas' ass and up his spine. His voice broke through the chorus of animal-like moans and groans each had been uttering pleasurably for the last half hour or so.

"Roxas… are you ready?"

"Ahhhhhnnnnn…" Roxas was unable to form words, and just hoped that his response would be taken as an affirmative.

Axel leaned his head to the side and kissed Roxas on the side of his cheek. "I'll take that as a yes…" were the final words Roxas heard before a piercing pain unlike any other he had ever before felt spread through his body, carrying with it a sense of warmth and desire. Roxas' body curved nearly uncontrollably up into Axel's, almost until neither could stand it anymore.

He was locked into a state of euphoria, a rapture that seemed eternal. And still he reached out, incapable of doing more than babbling out a few phrases mostly consisting of, "More!"

He ascended higher and higher, feeling somehow as if he would never reach the summit of this mountain. And then he reached the peak and felt suddenly as if he were a ghost, floating ecstatically out of his body to look down upon the scene. Beneath the remaining sheets, his body was almost completely covered by Axel's. The two twisted, writhing together, and Roxas felt the strongest agony/pleasure pang yet before the struggle passed and he was left to sink back into his body with a pleasurable sensation remaining despite the fact that he and Axel were no longer so intimately connected.

Axel rolled off of Roxas, and Roxas corrected his posture so that he could gaze into the worried green of Axel's eyes. "Roxas… I … hope I didn't… hurt you," he whispered, sounding genuinely concerned.

Roxas quickly silenced his protest with a quick peck on the lips. "Don't be sorry. I love you. Thank you, Axel. I… I…"

"I love you too, Roxas." Axel yawned sleepily. "I'm getting… sort of tired… Would it be all right if we… went to sleep now…?"

"Yeah, of course." Roxas was quick to agree and he snuggled deep into Axel's chest, feeling long, warm arms wrapped around his as he slowly faded into dreams that had none of the pleasure Axel had just shown him.

---------------------------------

It was late morning, after the glowing rays of the sunrise had all but vanished, when Roxas woke. He lay on the pillow, comfortable in the warmth of the bed (and Axel), and the soft comforting feel of the satiny sheets (and of Axel's arms wrapped tightly around his waist).

Waiting for Axel to wake, Roxas curled his face into Axel's neck, kissing the base of his throat gently. Axel pulled Roxas tighter, pressing the two together sleepily. Roxas lay happily in this position for a time, delighting in the crush of bodies and tangle of limbs. Axel exhaled rhythmically, heating Roxas' neck and causing goosebumps to appear all up his arm.

Eventually, Roxas moved out of Axel's grasp. "Axel," he called, looking hopefully at Axel's face. Axel's eyelids fluttered, but he seemed to remain within a deep sleep. Roxas pouted and climbed on top of Axel, caressing his skin gently. He was so caught up with running his fingers along Axel's chest that he didn't notice green eyes watching him until it was too late. Axel moved quickly, pushing Roxas back onto the misplaced sheets and kissing him.

"Hey, hey, Roxas, not until tonight. You don't want to get tired out too early in the day, do you?" Axel teased, rubbing his forehead against Roxas' playfully.

"I'm huuuuuuuuungry," Roxas complained, meeting Axel's gaze.

"Well, what do you want to eat, Roxas?" Axel asked.

"I wanna eat… you!" Using surprising strength, Roxas pushed Axel back, pressing him back against the mattress. Axel could do nothing more but surrender to this new, forceful Roxas that was shoving him down on the bed with all the pressure that he himself had exerted on Roxas' slim frame only last night. What else could he do? Roxas had melted into his arms before, and the least he could do would be to soften up under the pressure. Axel simply relaxed, curving gently into the bed under the weight of Roxas' small body, allowing Roxas to do what he would. Roxas pushed Axel down still further and massaged Axel's shoulders rhythmically as his mouth and tongue traversed Axel's upper body. Seeing Axel weaken beneath this barrage of affection, Roxas released his grasp on Axel's shoulders in favor of petting, grasping, and rubbing Axel's moistening skin. Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas, clinging to him with all his might. He let go quickly enough when Roxas pressed back against his clasped arms, indicating that he wanted to back up, however.

Roxas now knelt on Axel's legs, continuing to kiss and move his hands increasingly lower on Axel's light, unresisting body. Axel rested his arms on Roxas' knees, carefully inching his hands up Roxas' thighs. Roxas gasped when those hands slipped between his legs, and moved all the faster downwards on Axel. Axel soon relented and laid his arms back down at his side, preparing for what Roxas was going to do to him next.

And what he did do was to get off the bed and start pulling clothes out of Axel's dresser. "Uh… what are you doing, Roxy?" Axel asked timidly, wondering what was going on.

"You said it yourself, Axel. 'Not until tonight.' I don't want to wear you out too early…" Roxas smirked as he pulled on a red shirt and a pair of jeans that were much too long and baggy for him. "Now then, I really am hungry, so get your lazy ass out of bed and get dressed already."

"Nag, nag, nag. Now I know I really am married," Axel grumbled, stumbling sleepily over to the dresser next to Roxas. He grabbed a black shirt and a pair of tight, black jeans, putting them on limply. Roxas leaned over and hugged him.

"I'm sorry, Axel. I love you."

"I love you too, Roxas." Axel returned the embrace before taking Roxas by the hand. "So… let's go eat?"

"All right. I'm feeling like some yogurt today."

"Well, I was thinking of getting some Coco Puffs."

"If you really want to. You're just going to die when you're thirty, Mr. Unhealthy."

"Ah, well, you live for the moment, right, _Mrs. Healthy_?" They entered the kitchen to see Zexion and Demyx making cookies, sandwiches, and generally a huge mess. "So, what are you doing?" Axel asked.

"We're going on a romantic picnic again!" Demyx cheered, sticking the cookies in the oven. Zexion was too busy creating a mysterious sandwich that was a combination of peanut-butter-and-ham-and-jelly-and-tofu to comment.

"All right." Axel went over to the cabinet, but was dismayed to find that all the Coco Puffs had vanished mysteriously. "Hey, who ate all the Coco Puffs?"

"We did," Roxas commented at the same time Demyx yelled, "It was Zexion! He ate them all! But he didn't get fat because he's my beautiful sexy emo lover!"

Zexion looked up at this. "Uh, thanks, Demyx. I think. When are the cookies done?"

"15 minutes! They're my smexy 15 minute chocolate chip cookies of luuuuuuuuve!"

"That was a bit more information than I needed, but that's okay."

"Noooooooo!" This yell of anger came from Roxas, who had looked into the fridge to discover that not only was there no yogurt, but that there were also no waffles, pancakes, or Pop-Tarts; and in fact the only thing that was in the fridge at all were some tofu dogs Vexen had won when he was the ninth caller on an NPR program. (He was also 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8; number 5 was a wrong number.) Roxas stalked angrily over to Demyx and Zexion. "You guys have all the food! That's not fair! I'm starving!!!!"

Axel walked over and pulled Roxas gently away from the frightened couple. "It's all right, guys. Roxy always gets like this when he's hungry…"

"And since you stole all of my food," Roxas yelled from between Axel's restricting arms, "I think I deserve to go on your stupid romantic picnic and eat your food, which was really my food all along!"

Axel actually liked this suggestion. "Yeah! Those cookies smell good! But of course, yours are better, Roxy…"

"Yeah, that's right, you suck-up." Roxas leaned back into Axel's arms.

"Uh… I don't think we really-" Zexion was cut off by Demyx.

"Yeah! We can be together on our romantic picnic! Me and Zexy! Axel and Roxas! Romantically! We can sing romantic songs, and eat romantic foods, and dance romantically by the light of our romantic campfire!"

"…Okay, Demyx…" No one really had much to say for the remaining 13 min. 5.18 sec. Axel and Roxas stayed together, and Zexion made more weird sandwiches, the most notable being toast-scrambled-egg-papaya-salami. Starving Roxas ate it on the spot, and proclaimed it delicious, though he said it could have used more salt.

Eventually, the timer beeped out its cheery tone, and Demyx pulled the smexy cookies out. He tipped the cookies of the baking sheet and into the pick-a-nick basket, and away they went.

---------------------

They arrived at a park for on the other side of the world, when the sun had reached its peak and the ghost of a moon lay in the skies above. Sitting on the outspread blanket, the two pairs unpacked their respective piles of food before digging in. Roxas ate most of his and Axel's food, although Axel managed to steal a bite or two of a smexy cookie. Zexion and Demyx were much more restrained in their eating habits in comparison. Once finished, they cleared everything off and hung around until the sun sank below the horizon. It was here, beneath the stars, that Roxas snuggled into Axel's arms and whispered, "Know what, Axel?"

"What, Roxas?"

"We didn't die in seven days after all. And you know what else? Everything, you know, all this…" Roxas gestured to the surroundings, "it all started with a scary movie."

"And it ended… with love." The two kissed beneath the heavens in one truly blissful moment.

.:FIN:.

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Xiana: Well, I hope you liked the ending! And thanks for sticking with me for the entire thing! Demyx-cookies and Zexion-sandwiches for everyone! (throws random stuff into the sky for faithful reviewers and readers)

Note: Hm, you may have noticed that the story doesn't say complete? Well, I was thinking about an alternate ending written by Keselyx, and some more bloopers! So if any of you want to suggest anything, go ahead!

Note 2: Hey, if you guys have no idea of what to read next, and are interested in the continuing adventures of Xiana and Co., check out **Keselyx Meeko Lyszerxon**'s A Holiday Tale. And you should also read the stories of **Kitsune Bara**, and it might be nice if you all would read my next story, Jingle Bell Carol. (Yes, I know the holidays are over.) Thanks for everything, and I hope to see you again soon!


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